A Hanukkah to Remember
by Houddy
Summary: This is the sequel to A Thanksgiving to Remember. After the rollercoaster that was Thanksgiving with the House's, are House and Cuddy finally ready to take their relationship to the next level? WARNING: There's bound to be smut eventually :
1. Gathering the Pieces

Welcome back y'all. I have finally begun the sequel to A Thanksgiving to Remember. There was a bit of background work I needed to do after my much needed vacation, but now I'm ready to go. This first chapter is just a tease, because I'm mean like that, but I hope to have more up tomorrow. Anyway, sit back, enjoy, and as always, your comments are always welcome. **

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**Gathering the Pieces**

House looked back and forth down the hall. No one was in sight. With surprising agility, he skulked down the hallway and stopped in front of a rather non-descript looking door. Who needed keys when some idiot on YouTube was more than happy to show the world how to pick the common lock?

He grinned as he heard the small click of the lock, then, with one last look up and down the hall he slipped into the small supply room. There had been many times when he'd picked on Cuddy for her anal organizational skills, but this wasn't one of them. He smiled happily as he looked at the rows of medical equipment, each section with a little label taped to the shelf below it.

In a few minutes he reemerged from the room with his arms full of goodies. He hurried back to his office and dropped them onto his desk.

"What's all that?" Wilson had snuck in behind him and looked at the assortment of medical equipment. "You and Cuddy going to play doctor later?"

House's eyes lit up. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Wilson smirked knowingly. "Because clearly you have a much more devious plan in mind for your ill gotten gains."

"Indeed I do." House pulled out some wrapping paper and handed it to Wilson. "Here, you wrap these while I explain."

Wilson took the paper and slowly began to wrap each strange implement while House prattled on about something that was clearly not an explanation.

"No, really House, what are you up to?" Wilson finally handed over the last gift, which House tagged with a sticky note that was branded with a perfectly written '3'.

"You don't want me to ruin the surprise do you?" House teased.

Wilson looked like he was about to burst. "YES!"

"Nah, you say that now, but if I tell you, you'll only start bitching about how I ruined the surprise, and I'll never hear the end of it." House locked the bottom drawer of his desk, which now held five rather odd wrapped packages, each with a sticky note with a number boldly written on it.

"I don't bitch!" Wilson protested.

"If you say so," House rolled his eyes and got up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Wilson hurried after him like a puppy.

"No where." House pushed open the door, walked through and tried to slam it in Wilson's face. Stupid hydraulic doors.

Wilson sidled through as the door slowly wooshed shut. "You never go no where."

"And it's about time I did." House replied quickly, leaving Wilson to work that out for a moment.

Wilson shook his head and hurried after House, who had tried to vanish around a corner. "Does this have something to do with the stuff you had me wrap?"

House stopped in his tracks, letting Wilson crash into him, then turned and put a finger to his lips. "Shhhhh. I told you, it's a secret."

"What is?" Wilson's curiosity was about to become too much for him, as House knew it would.

"If I tell you, I'll have to kill you, which would be a shame, you being my only friend and all. Then I'd have to go cultivate a new friendship, and I don't think anyone wants that, so stop asking." House pushed open the doors to the ladies room. There were a lot of places that Wilson would follow him, but his friend still had enough common decency not to barge into the ladies room, unlike House. "Hello ladies," House nodded politely as a couple nurses fled from the room.

House locked the door behind them, because he knew Wilson well enough to anticipate that the man had his hand perched on the doorknob, debating whether the coast was clear for entry. And then he waited, his back against the door, his ear inches from the hollow metal door.

He heard Wilson start to walk away and quickly opened the door, a thought knocking him upside the head. "And don't tell Cuddy!"

Wilson spun on his heels. "Don't tell Cuddy what? You haven't told me anything yet!"

"Don't tell her anything." House sighed and came out of the ladies room just as Nurse Brenda was thundering toward it. "I was paged and told my patient was dying in there." House made up a quick excuse. It was clear the nurses had ratted him out to Big Bad Brenda.

"You don't have a patient Dr. House," Brenda seethed.

"Well, not anymore," House tried to look sad, but he'd never had a puppy that died, so he wasn't sure how to go about it.

"I'm telling Dr. Cuddy about this," Brenda turned and stormed off.

"Send her my love," House called back jokingly.

"What?" Wilson turned to his friend, aghast. "She gets to tell Cuddy you've taken to hanging out in the ladies room but I can't tell her…whatever it is I can't tell her?"

"Exactly." House was glad Wilson had finally gotten caught up. And just in time. House hung his cane on the edge of the pharmacy window and looked at Wilson. "You have that prescription for Yodoxin?" He asked in a louder than normal voice.

"What pres…" Wilson felt something hard hit his shin. It was House's foot. He grabbed House by the arm and pulled him away from the window. "What do you need Yodoxin for? Do you have an intestinal infection?" Wilson whispered rather loudly.

"Do I look like I have an intestinal infection?" House waited for a reply for two seconds before continuing. "It's not for me."

"Who's it for?" Wilson was beyond frustrated with all the secrecy.

"Someone other than me." House stated matter of factly.

"And that someone would be?" Wilson probed.

"None of your concern." House pulled Wilson's prescription pad out of the pocket he always kept it in, and found a pen in his pocket protector. He handed both to Wilson. "That's Yodoxin. Y-O-…"

"I know how to spell it House." Wilson wrote up the prescription as he wondered where he'd left his backbone, and if he'd ever see it again. "Here." He sighed heavily as he handed House the piece of paper.

"Great!" House grabbed it and bounced over to the pharmacy window. He happily slid the paper to the skeptical looking pharmacist.

The pharmacist looked over House's shoulder, at Wilson. Wilson just nodded and grinned weakly so the pharmacist vanished into the back and returned with a small white pill bottle.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you," House said sarcastically as he hobbled away from the window.

"You look pretty pleased with yourself." Wilson said, falling into line with House's long stride.

"I am." House held in his hand the last piece of his puzzle, and the hardest one at that. This was going to be a Hanukkah Cuddy would never forget. He started whistling as he strolled down the hall. The sound threw Wilson so much that he nearly crashed into an opening office door.


	2. On the First Day of Hanukkah

**"**House is doing something crazy for Cuddy" **HOUSEM.D.FanForever**, you have no idea. ;)

"You really have a knack for this." awe, thank you **Metaphoric.Love**. And don't worry about Cuddy's wellbeing. I think this will turn out to be quite a good Hanukkah for her.

"This may be the best representation of House's character through dialouge that I've ever read." - oh man, you made me tear up a little bit, **Addicted1**. That is about the nicest thing a fanfic writer can hear.

I've missed you all, and missed House and Cuddy. It feels good to be back, and though we're off to a somewhat slow start, but I'm just getting warmed up, so stay tuned.

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**On the First Day of Hanukkah, My True Love Gave to Me...**

Cuddy walked into her office and threw her papers down on the desk. She noticed the package just in time, and set the papers off to one side. The year end board meeting slipped quickly from her mind as she stared at the small rectangle of shiny blue wrapping paper. The white ribbon circling the present said "Happy Hanukkah" in bold silver lettering.

She sat down and picked up the mysterious item, looking for a tag, or some form of identification. It wasn't like House to buy presents. He hadn't gotten her anything for her birthday, though he did get her some eatable underwear for Valentines Day. She now looked at the package with more trepidation.

A knock on her door was followed by Wilson's dark head peeking from around it.

"Did you leave this on my desk?" Cuddy asked, holding up the present.

"No." Wilson shook his head curiously, walking into the office. "What is it?"

"A present." Cuddy stated with that exhaustion people get when asked a stupid question.

"From House?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't have asked you if it was from you, now would I?"

Wilson blushed. "Guess not." As much as he was dying to know what was in the package, he knew she'd never open it in front of him. Not after the Pregnancy Test fiasco of 2006. House's presents were best opened alone. "I need you to approve some tests." Wilson handed her the folder he was carrying and waited as she looked it over, and signed the consent.

After Wilson left, Cuddy looked nervously at the small box shaped gift. She put it up to her ear. It wasn't ticking. That was a good sign. She shook it carefully and heard something rattle around inside.

As a child, Lisa Cuddy had been one of those Jewish children who were jealous of the little Christian kids, who got a pile of presents all at once, and got to tear through them like a dervish. She'd always hated waiting out each day of Hanukkah to get her next present. Now that she was older, she pretended to be more patient, but she wasn't.

She tore open the paper and was left with a small white box. She pulled open the top and stared in confusion and disbelief. She now had no doubt the gift was from House.

She pulled out the white plastic bottle and looked at the label more carefully, then she picked up the phone.

"Whore, Whore, Whore," said the distinct voice on the other end.

Cuddy was about to call him something back when she realized what he was doing. "It's Ho, Ho, Ho, House."

"Oh, you kids and your slang." House chastised.

"I'm not...forget it." She knew an age joke was coming and wanted to avoid it. "Did you leave a present on my desk?"

"Nope." And that was the truth. He'd made Chase do it. "It was probably an elf." Damn! He should have made Chase wear one of those little elf costumes. That would have been really humiliating. House grinned.

"There are no Hanukkah elves House."

"Hmmm. Secret admirer?"

"It was you House. There is no one else on Earth that would give someone a bottle of antiseptic as a gift."

"I got you the powdery kind, not that horrible orange gunk." House said proudly.

"I'm touched."

"You certainly will be tonight, if you play your cards right."

Cuddy smiled. "You'll touch me no matter what cards I play."

House was caught. "True."

Cuddy had turned the bottle over and recognized a small sticker that was placed on all the supplies at the hospital ever since Dr. Garcia had been caught selling medical supplies on E-Bay. "House, did you steal this from a supply closet?"

"Steal is such a strong word Cuddy. I attained it."

"You stole my Hanukkah gift?" She wasn't sure just how appalled she should be, so she started off slowly.

"It's the thought that counts."

"You thought a stolen bottle of Mexsana was the perfect gift?"

"It will be."

Cuddy opened her mouth to respond, but she had no idea what to say to that. 'It will be'? What was that supposed to mean.

"Just hold on to it, and trust me." He knew that would get her going.

"Trust you?" She tried not to fall for the bait, but she couldn't help it sometimes. "Fine, sure, I'll trust you House. But if you steal the MRI machine, I'll trust the legal system to haul your ass to jail."

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? I remember that look in your eyes when you came to visit me in jail last year. All kinds of prison matron fantasies dancing around in that twisted head of yours."

Cuddy glared at the phone. "Those were your fantasies House, not mine."

"We're a couple now Cuddy, what's mine is yours." He smiled.

"Lucky me." How did she let herself get involved with this insane man?

"And what's yours is mine," he thought of her tight little body, which, under couple code, was his, and if everything went according to plan, maybe, just maybe, she really would be his, officially.

He wasn't sure why he cared about making it official. It wasn't the kind of thing that usually mattered to him. They were living in sin. That was hot. He should just leave it be, enjoy the ride.

"You want me to share my antiseptic with you?" She rolled her eyes.

"Well, if you really want to, we can play doctor with it later. That's what Wilson thinks we're doing anyway."

"Wilson? What's he got to do with this?"

"Nothing. Forget I said his name."

"Why don't I just forget you gave me this pathetic attempt at a gift?"

"You can't forget it. You'll need it later."

"Need it? For what?" Now she was getting worried.

"You'll see." House hung up on her. He knew her well enough to know that he'd planted enough of a seed of curiosity that she would hold onto the gift.

Cuddy put down the receiver and picked up the bottle of Mexsana. The top screwed off easily. Maybe he'd hidden something inside the bottle. She should have thought of that earlier.

She peered inside. Looked like the right stuff. She shook the bottle, listening for any foreign objects that might be inside. Like a ring? She shook the thought off. She didn't expect House to suddenly turn romantic and propose to her so quickly after they'd broken off their last shortlived engagement. Still... it would have been nice.


	3. The Long Distance Phone Call

**The Long Distance Phone Call**

Cuddy was pulled out of her daydream by the harsh ring of her office phone. She looked down at the caller ID and sighed. Might as well get it over with now. She picked up the reciever.

"Happy Hanukkah!" Her sister's excited voice assaulted her.

"Hi Lydia." Cuddy said les enthusiastically.

"Oh, Lisa, come on, you can do better than that!" Spending all her time with three children had a really annoying side effect. Lydia now spoke to everyone like they were a five year old child, with that overdone enthusiasm and exaggeration.

"Happy Hanukkah Lydia." Cuddy said just as unenthusiastically as she'd last spoken.

There was some noise on the other end. Cuddy knew what was coming and pulled the phone a few inches from her ear. She could just make out her sister's loud voice telling the kids to say hi to Auntie Lisa.

"HAPPY HANUKKAH AUNTIE LISA," came three young but loud voices through the ear piece. They were almost in unison, giving Cuddy the sneaking suspicion that Lydia had made them practice before hand.

"Happy Hanukkah," Cuddy said to the children with far more enthusiasm then she had shown her sister.

There was more noise, and then Lydia was back. "They're all excited about seeing Grandma and Grandpa."

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry I deprived them of that special joy on Thanksgiving." Cuddy sarcasted.

Lydia's voice changed to something less excited and more serious. "Mom told me about Thanksgiving."

"What did she tell you?" Cuddy furrowed her brow. Why was Lydia talking like someone had just died?

"About what House did to you. Oh Lisa, why are you still with that jerk? He's..."

"What House did to me?" Cuddy could just imagine her mother running to Lydia and talking about mean old Dr. House breaking her daughter's heart. But that wasn't even close to what happened.

"About not proposing, making a mockery out of you..."

"He didn't make a mockery out of anything. He actually did propose, as a matter of fact..."

"OH MY GOD! You're engaged!??!"

Ooops. "No. We decided it wasn't a good time..."

"Not a good time?" Lydia's face fell, and Cuddy could hear it from miles away. "Oh Lisa. When is it ever going to be a good time with you?"

"I..."

"Remember Doug?"

"Yes, I remember Doug..."

"You were engaged for all of what, three weeks before you decided he wasn't the one?"

"I was twenty two."

"I got married at twenty." Lydia was like her mother in that whatever she did she assumed was what everyone was supposed to do. Like she was the arbiter of what was acceptable.

"You..." Cuddy wanted to say that her little sister had never had any real goals in life, so it didn't matter. But she realized just in time that Lydia's goal was to get married and have kids rather than career, and that there was nothing wrong with that. "That's what you wanted, Lydia."

"You don't want to get married?" This was such a foreign concept for Lydia Cuddy-Rosenberg that she couldn't believe her sister could say such a thing.

"That's really none of your business Lydia..."

"Oh sure, close yourself off again Lisa. Heaven forbid we talk about anything that's going on in your life..."

"You want to talk about my life? Fine. I just managed to get $10 million in donations for the hospital. That means we'll be able to update our cancer center and save more lives."

"That's work." Lydia quickly dismissed her sister's proud declaration. "What about YOU Lisa? What's going on in YOUR life?"

Cuddy felt the wall of defense going up. "I'm fine, Lydia. Not everyone needs marriage and children to feel fulfilled. Not everyone has to follow your path. I save lives, many lives. I affect the world. I do charity work. I travel. Despite what you might think, I do not sit in the dark night after night crying myself to sleep because I'm barren and unmarried." The word was out before she realized she'd said it.

"What?" Lydia ran the sentence over again in her head. Surely Lisa didn't mean what she'd said. It was probably a slip of the tongue. She meant she didn't have a man to give her kids. That's all she meant, right?

"Nothing. Forget it." Cuddy wanted to hang up, but she'd been raised slightly better than that. She couldn't hang up on her sister.

"Are you really...barren? You can't have children?" Lydia's voice rang of someone who had just discovered the world would end in three days. Shock and disbelief coated every syllable.

"If you tell Mom, I'll kill you." Cuddy was dead serious. She did NOT want her mother to know about this. She was just learning to accept the truth herself. She didn't need her nosy, pushy mother rubbing salt in a still fresh wound.

"But..."

"No Lydia. I will never speak to you again if you tell her."

"Oh Lisa..." Lydia's voice dripped with compassion. "I won't...but...I'm sure she'd..."

"No. She wouldn't. You have to promise me Lydia. Not a word." Cuddy's voice was threatening.

"If that's what you want." It was clear that Lydia thought it was a stupid thing to want, but if her stupid sister wanted such a stupid thing, she wouldn't stand in her way.

"It is." Cuddy spoke before her sister could through her 'but' in there. "Now I have to go. I've got a dinner party to get ready for. Tell Mom and Dad I love them, and don't tell them what I told you."

"Dad either?"

"Dad either." Cuddy didn't really mind so much if her father knew, but if he was going to know, she wanted to be the one to tell him. It was none of Lydia's business, and she was sure to make it sound much worse than it was. "Happy Hanukkah." That was Cuddy code for this conversation is now over.

"Happy Hanukkah," Lydia said with sorrow in her heart.

Cuddy frowned as she hung up the phone. Lydia would treat her like she had a terminal illness every time they spoke now. That was just great.

She didn't hear the door open, or notice House slip into her office. She jumped when he spoke. "I bet I can turn that frown upside down."

After a moment of heavy breathing to catch her breath, Cuddy looked at him. "I can't believe you just said that."

"Words don't matter. It's actions that count." He had walked around the desk and was standing beside her. He bent down and brushed the hair away from her face, then, just when she turned to look at him, he planted a big kiss on her soft lips.

When he pulled away, she was smiling. "See, it worked."

"Shut up House." She said playfully.

"I'll shut up if you give me something else to do with my mouth." He leaned in for another kiss but she pulled away.

"Not until after Wilson's party." She had had to bribe him to go to Wilson's first bachelor Hanukkah dinner with the promise of hot sex afterwards. She had decided to cut him off until then. It would only make the reward that much better.

"If we skip the party we can get to the good stuff right away." It had been over a week since they'd last had sex, and he was going through withdrawals. He hated that time of month. Not only did she cry at all those mushy commercials, and bite his head off for every little thing he did, and mope around for a few days, but she withheld sex. She felt too bloaty, and it was too disgusting and other excuses. Of course, she always made up for it by being extra horny when it passed.

"We are going to Wilson's party. He's counting on us to be there. And then, if you behave yourself, we will go home and have our own party. Agreed?" She knew he would agree. There were two things she could bribe him with, sex and drugs. This time she'd gone with sex.

"Agreed. But I'm not dressing up."

"I doubt anyone expects you to."

"Good." It was a small victory, but a victory none the less.


	4. Wilson's Hanukkah Dinner

**Wilson's Hanukkah Dinner**

Wilson ran around the apartment making last minute adjustments. This was the first time he was hosting Hanukkah dinner by himself. He couldn't rely on Julie's mad cooking skills, or Bonnie's eye for decoration or Cindy's charm. It was all on him this year. He took a deep breath and breathed in the sweet smells of the Hanukkah dinner he'd ordered from Dinner is Served.

In the stillness before his guests arrived, he thought of his brother Bobby. It had been eleven years since he'd seen him. He'd heard that Bobby was still in New Jersey, but that was four years ago. Still, this time of year was the hardest. He looked for Bobby's face as he walked down the street. He imagined hearing Bobby's voice calling to him from across the street or down the hall.

Hanukkah had been the one time of year that the Wilson family came together without fighting. It was the one time of year, even after he'd left, that Bobby would make contact. That contact had ended years ago, but his big brother James still held on to his hope. The rest of the family had moved on. His parents hadn't celebrated Hanukkah in nine years. His older brother David had a converted to Christianity and now celebrated Christmas with his wife's family.

Wilson heard the knock on his door, and knowing it would hurt, he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to see his brother smiling at him as he slowly opened the door. Instead the smiling face he saw was that of Eli Taub.

"Thanks so much for inviting me," Taub said, walking in and handing Wilson a bottle of Kosher wine.

"I know what it's like when you're away from your family." Wilson looked at the wine, an expensive brand, and nodded his approval.

Wilson recognized the woman with Taub and couldn't stop himself from grinning.

Amber Volokis had been one of House's candidates. She had almost made the cut too. "Hi Amber."

Amber looked surprised. "You actually know my name?"

"Of course."

"I figured you'd just call me The Bitch like your friend House does."

"Don't let him get to you," Wilson gave his sage advice.

"I never did." Amber lied. Then a thought dawned on her. "Is he going to be here tonight?"

"Yes." Wilson felt suddenly uncomfortable. As much as the pretty blonde's presence was much welcomed, the fear of her confronting House had managed to trump that.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Wilson answered it reluctantly. "Robin!" His face lit up when he saw her.

"Hi James." Robin Thomas walked in and gave Wilson a peck on the cheek. They had met under unusual circumstances to say the least. She was the hooker of a patient of his a couple years ago. But had become good, platonic friends when he'd asked her out for coffee.

"Can I take your coat?" Wilson had been nothing but gentlemanly with her. Her occupation made him nervous. He'd known his fair share of hookers, but had never spent any length of time with one, without cutting deeply into his paycheck.

"Thanks." Robin smiled a genuine smile at him. Not the kind of smile she gave to her paying customers.

"Taub, Amber, this is Robin. Robin, Taub and Amber." Everyone made their hellos as Wilson put their coats in the other room.

Wilson was in the other room hanging coats when the doorbell rang again. His guests looked at one another for a moment, then Taub shrugged and opened the door just as Wilson was coming back. "Dr. House," Taub said with a smirk.

"Sorry, must have the wrong Jew. I was looking for..."

"Dr. Wilson." Taub said, unfazed. "He's...oh, here he is now." Taub stepped aside as Wilson came to the door.

"House," Wilson said nervously. He had a feeling House wasn't going to like the guest list.

"What's he doing here?" House said, nodding his head in Taub's direction and getting a warning nudge from Cuddy.

"I invited him." Wilson answered uncertainly.

"Why the hell did you do that?"

Wilson leaned in to whisper. "He had no where else to go." He then straightened up and addressed his guests. "Can I get anyone a drink?"

"I'll have a scotch. Give Cuddy whatever will get her drunk fastest." House followed Wilson into the kitchen to help with the drinks. By help with the drinks he meant lean against the counter and watch Wilson make the drinks, then watch as Wilson carried them all out on a big tray.

When the two friends reentered the living room they discovered two new people waiting for them. One was instantly recognizable. "Hi Lo." House snarled.

"Hi G, Jimmy."

Wilson smiled as he started passing around drinks. "What can I get you Lo?"

"Oh, any old alcoholic thing will do. This is Steve. Steve, say hi." She tugged at Steve's collar and he said hello to everyone.

Wilson ran back out to get any old alcoholic thing for Lo and a Corona for Steve.

"Corona?" House shook his head in disbelief. "What self respecting man would drink Corona?"

"You're a beer snob," Wilson pointed out.

"At least I'm not a Corona drinker." House made a face.

"He seems okay." Wilson shrugged. He'd always had a bit of a crush on Lo, though the one date they'd gone on back in '92 had gone so horribly wrong that he had tried to forget it.

"If you like that type."

"Yeah, tall, dark and handsome. I don't know what Lo sees in him."

"Why did you invite her? You know she irks me."

Wilson smiled. "That's why I invited her."

"Jerk."

"Well, that and the fact that she's Cuddy's best friend."

House didn't think that was a good enough reason, but didn't bother telling this to Wilson. Instead he stood silently as Wilson fixed drinks for Lo and her date.

Cuddy, meanwhile, took her friend aside. "Who's Steve?"

"Just some guy." Lo tried to sound casual.

"Just some gorgeous guy," Cuddy corrected.

"He is, isn't he?" Lo giggled giddily. "And you know what? He's amazing in bed."

"Rub it in why don't you," Cuddy teased.

"Awe, G doesn't know how to handle his cane?"

"That's not what I meant!" Cuddy protested. "House is great in bed."

"Yeah, well I figured. I mean, there has to be some reason you stay with him. And it's obviously not his personality."

"Shut up!" Cuddy shoved her friend playfully. It was great to have Lo back in town. "It's not for his gift giving ability."

"Oooh!" Lo's face lit up. "Did he give you a present?"

"For Hanukkah." That alone was a head scratcher, as House wasn't Jewish, and wasn't a gift giver.

"What?" Lo asked excitedly.

"Antiseptic."

"What?" Lo asked excitedly, pretending she hadn't heard what Cuddy just said.

"Antiseptic," Cuddy said slowly. "A powder antiseptic. It's called Mexsana. He stole it from the storage room."

House and Wilson returned from the other room as Lo burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"What's so funny?" Wilson asked, handing Lo her drink.

Lo stopped laughing long enough to take a sip. "Oh, that's good."

"Amaretto sour," Wilson said proudly. He'd gotten a a bartending book from Robin for his birthday and was well on his way to the goal she had set for him; to make every drink in the book at least once.

"Well, it's not antiseptic, but it'll do." She looked pointedly at House.

"You told her?" House turned to Cuddy.

"I wasn't aware it was a secret." Cuddy put a hand on House's back, rubbing it slowly.

"It wasn't." House waited for some snide comment from Cuddy's best friend.

"I hear it was the powdered kind. Fancy." She had no idea if powdered kind was fancy or not, but she had no idea what else to say to a man who gave antiseptic as a gift.

"Only the best for my Cuddy." House grinned.

"I agree." The unspoken completion of that sentence was that if House weren't the best for Cuddy, Lo would do something about it. He had always known this. It was the main reason he disliked her.


	5. House's Attempts at Mingling

**House's attempts at Mingling**

House stood off to one corner, allowing everyone to mingle as they did at these types of gatherings. He had found a nice, inconspicuous little nook beside the bookcase. Surely no one would bother him there.

Amber had been trying to get him alone since he arrived. When she noticed House sipping his scotch and flipping through a book. "Dr. House." She approached him with her usual aggression.

"I'm busy." He held the book up over his face. Something he should probably have done before she noticed him and headed over.

"I just want to ask you one thing Dr. House." Eagerness dripped off of her.

"Why I didn't choose you." House knew exactly why she wanted to talk to him.

"I'm the most qualified. I got the most diagnosis' right. I even..."

"13 flashed me her breasts."

"Really?!" Amber looked horrified, but mostly because she hadn't thought of it herself.

"No, not really." House hated gullible people.

"Then why?" Amber fought the urge to flash him her breasts at that moment.

"Why haven't you moved on?" It had been several months. She should have been over it by now.

"I have," she protested. "I took an offer at City Hospital. I'm an attending in their cardiology department. There's even talk of me helping start a diagnostics department there." She sounded like a little girl who had just shown her father her straight A report card.

"Then why would you want to work for me?" House could hardly understand why anyone wanted to work for him, but to see people willing to give up prestigious jobs to work as a Fellow under him. Well, it just intrigued him.

"Because I feel I could learn a lot working for you. I don't know everything Dr. House. I'm young, and I've got a lot to learn before I run my own department..."

"They asked you to run the diagnostics department?"

"Not yet," she said with a swagger that impressed him.

"Well, you're wrong." His words had a certain finality that she ignored.

"Wrong about what?" He could almost see her taking notes in her head.

"You're wrong that you can learn a lot from me."

She stood still, blinking at him.

"I didn't hire you because you already possess the ruthless, cutthroat skills I could have taught you. You need to work under an ethical doctor. Someone modest who's soul purpose in medicine is to save helpless sick people. You need to learn humility and caring. You need to learn to temper your competitive drive with some concern for your patient. These are not things I can teach you. Working for me would make you a worse doctor than you are, not a better one."

House hobbled away before Amber could answer him. She stared dumbfounded at the spot he had just vacated. She was trying to figure out if he had just complemented her or insulted her while he found Cuddy.

"Can we go yet?" House asked, leaning into her ear.

"We haven't even eaten dinner."

"So that's a no then?" House hoped she'd take pity on him, but she didn't.

"That's a no House."

With Wilson busy in the kitchen, and Cuddy catching up with Lo, House searched the room for someone to talk to. He headed toward Robin the hot hooker when he was cut off by Taub.

"Hi Dr. House."

"Dating The Bitch. That's unexpected."

"We're not dating. I just...Dr. Wilson said to bring someone, and she's the first person..."

"Because she's been dancing around naked in your head." House smiled. He recognized the look in Taub's eyes. It's the same mixture of excitement, guilt and puppy love that Wilson had every time he was about to cheat on his wife with someone new.

"She has not!" Taub blushed. "So, you and Cuddy?"

"Me and Cuddy what?"

"You could do a lot worse." Taub nodded appreciatively in Cuddy's direction.

"You're too short for her." House snapped.

Taub snickered. "You tall fellows always underestimate the under 5'8"s.

"If you ever try to hit on her I'll fire you."

"I wouldn't blame you at all." Taub took a sip of his wine. "It's going to be a fun night." He did a little cheers motion then walked off toward Amber who had recovered from her confusion.

House finished his original journey and landed in front of Robin and Steve. "Lo is looking for you," he lied, sending Steve on his merry way.

"Hi Dr. House." Robin remembered him vaguely from a few years ago, but she knew all about him from Wilson's incessant talking.

"Is Wilson paying you to be here?" House knew exactly who she was, and what she did for a living. He never forgot a hot hooker.

"No." She tried not to be upset. Wilson had warned her that House would make comments about her work.

"Guess he's not getting lucky tonight then."

She took a deep breath, counting to ten in her head before she spoke. "That's not really any of your business Dr. House."

House pulled out his wallet. "Well, if you're not on the clock..."

"Not a chance." She stormed off toward the kitchen.

"What did you say to her?" Cuddy came up behind him.

"I wanted to know how much for a threesome." He smiled.

"We've been over this House. It's not going to happen, ever."

"Well, I might just have to find a girlfriend who's more open minded."

"You do that."

"Didn't Lo once tell a story about a threesome she had back in college?"

Cuddy laughed. "Oh, House, if you can get Lo to sleep with you, then I will give you a free pass. You go for it." Cuddy knew there wasn't a chance in hell. Lo loved to pick on House, but he was, in almost every way imaginable, not her type.

"Cool." House grinned. Lo wasn't really his type either, and he would never really sleep with her, but it sure would be fun making Cuddy think he would. It would be even more fun if he could get Lo to play along.

He went off in search of Lo.

He found her in the bathroom, her face half buried in Steve's crotch. "Oh, pardon me." House smirked as Lo pulled away. "I thought I had a 6:30 appointment."

Lo smiled back, wiping her mouth on a towel. House made a mental note not to use that towel. "He's all yours." She pushed past House, who followed her out of the room, leaving Steve to zip himself up.

"Cuddy said that we could sleep together." House informed his non-friend.

"Because she knows it will never happen."

"She THINKS it will never happen," House hinted subtly.

"It will NEVER HAPPEN." Clearly he was a little too subtle.

"But she doesn't have to know that, does she?" House grinned, trying to show that he was playful and non-threatening.

"You want me to deceive my best friend by making her think I'm having an affair with her boyfriend?"

"It doesn't have to be an affair. It could just be a one night stand."

"NEVER going to happen."

"I don't mean we HAVE a one night stand..."

"I know exactly what you mean G." Lo dragged him into Wilson's bedroom, and for a moment House got very nervous. She laughed when she realized he thought she meant to molest him. "Oh, in your dreams!"

"I think the word you're looking for is nightmares."

"If you ever betray her, I will hunt you down and make you wish you were dead."

"I know."

"If you mistreat her I will be dead."

"Yeah, pretty much got that."

"So, why exactly do you want to play this trick on her?" Lo was as much of a jokester as the next person, but she had a line she wouldn't cross. Cuddy was already insecure about her relationship with House. There was no way Lo was going to go there.

"Forget it." It wasn't funny anymore anyway.

"If you ever cheat on her..."

"I won't cheat on her." House walked out the door. He didn't need this shit.


	6. Dinner is Served

"BARREN...NO!!" Well, she might have exagerated a bit by saying barren, **Scuddyrific**, but she was upset and it was the heat of the moment. That's not to say she's not. Or that she is. Or...well, let me stop being indecisive and let the story tell the story.

**nandafm88**, there is still plenty of opportunity for Cuddy to take her sister down a notch, or twelve. Right now she's sitting on that info. Think of it as her back up plan.

"I believe Dr. Taubs first name is Chris ". Dude, seriously? Chris? I'm with you **wrytingtyme**. That is as non Jewish as it gets. And therefore, I refuse to use it. LOL

**Carla Fox**, I want a friend like Lo too. Little secret, she's semi-based on the character of Lo on The Hills, the shallow reality show about Lauren Conrad from the other shallow reality show Laguna Beach. I only kind of watch it. Really. But Lo is pretty awesome, so I had to steal her.

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Dinner is Served 

Wilson announced dinner and, with Robin's help, herded everyone into the dining room. Every time someone complimented Wilson on the wonderful food, House looked at his friend suspiciously. Now, Wilson was capable of cooking a good meal, but House was willing to bet money that Wilson wasn't capable of cooking a meal like this.

"Thanks," Wilson blushed as Amber commented that his was the best borscht she'd ever had. Wilson's eyes shot toward House. He was sure that his acerbic friend would out him at any moment. Surprisingly House held his tongue.

"This is almost as good as my grandmother's brisket," Taub added, "and that is quite a complement." He smiled as he went up for seconds.

House cornered Wilson at the make shift buffet table, which was really just a long card table with a beautiful blue and silver table cloth. "How'd you get her to come without paying?" House looked over his shoulder at the beautiful Robin.

"She's my friend House. I'm allowed to have friends."

"I know. But she's a...hooker," House was as giddy as a child when he said it. He'd always been fascinated by hookers.

"She's more than just her job, House." Wilson kept his focus on the latkes.

House looked at him with great curiosity. "You like her." The rising pink in Wilson's cheeks answered him with a great big yes. House grinned. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing's wrong with her," Wilson answered with the nervous laugh of a preteen boy in love. "She's perfect." He looked back at Robin who was speaking animatedly with Lo.

"Something must be wrong with her. She actually chooses to spend time with you without getting paid for it. Is it an abusive boyfriend?"

"No." Wilson shook his head dismissively.

"Oh, right, that was Julie. Does she have massive Daddy issues?"

"Not that I know of." Wilson realized they had never really talked about their families. Maybe House was right and she was damaged.

"What about...oh, what was wrong with Bonnie? Right, mental instability." Of all Wilson's wives, Bonnie was his least favorite. Interestingly enough, she was also the only one who refused to put up with House's crap.

"Bonnie was not mentally instable," Wilson surprised himself with his volume, and looked around nervously. Luckily there was enough conversation going on at the table that only Cuddy looked over at them. He smiled nervously and she went back to talking to Steve, trying to mask a look of utter boredom that made House smirk.

"Then what is the hookers issue?" House pondered it for all of two seconds. "Oh My God!" He was practically glowing with pride at his deductive reasoning. "You think you're Richard Gere."

"What?" Wilson didn't bother trying to process that one.

"Pretty Woman. She's the hooker with a heart of gold. You're the successful doctor who is going to save her from a life of pimping herself out on the streets."

"No."

"You mean you're going to let your girlfriend go on being a hooker? How bold."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Yet." House had seen the pattern enough times to know where their relationship was going. Wilson would befriend the young woman who needed his help, then he'd get her into bed, then she'd be the love of his life, and she would be so grateful for his help and support that she'd agree to marry him, then she'd realize he was just using her to fulfill some Knight in Shining Armor fantasy he had and she'd throw his ass to the curb when she discovered he'd found a new damsel in distress to rescue. Lather, rinse, repeat.

"No, not yet. Not ever. We're just friends."

"Afraid you won't stack up to her johns?" House kept prodding.

Wilson burst out with a loud, protesting "NO!" Everyone turned to look at him.

"I suggested he should have made pork chops." House lied.

Wilson took advantage of the momentary distraction and hurried back to the table, and Robin. He sat down and looked at her. She was stunning. There was no reason for him to not fall in love with her.

"What?" She felt his stare and was feeling a little uncomfortable.

"You look beautiful tonight." Wilson sounded like a love struck puppy.

"Thanks." Robin turned away from him quickly. She'd been down this road before. Some well meaning guy would come along and try to 'save' her from her horrible life as a hooker, not thinking for a moment that she might have chosen this path rather than having no other choice. So long as they stayed friends, and he didn't judge her, things would be fine. But she'd seen that look before. Crap!

"No, I really mean it. Beautiful. You could be a model." And here it came, the barrage of career options; model, actress, trophy wife. Never once did a man tell her she could be a doctor, or a lawyer, or an astro-physicist.

"Yeah, never heard that one before." The trouble was, she really liked this guy. James Wilson had treated her like a human being. He had looked her in the eye when he spoke to her. She never got the feeling she was prize winning cattle and he was fixing to haggle on a price with her. She had opened up to him in ways she rarely did.

"Sorry." Wilson blushed so hard his ears turned red. "That was so lame."

"Yeah, it was." She smiled at him warmly. He was adorably goofy at times. It was hard to get mad at him.

"Won't happen again."

"If it does, I'll smack you in the head."

"Perfect." He sighed with relief. She was the one thing these days that kept him from going off the deep end. His divorce from Julie had turned messy. She was the one who cheated, yet she was trying to take him to the cleaners. Unfortunately for him, she'd dragged his history of cheating and divorces into the picture and her amazing lawyer was actually making a convincing argument that Wilson drove his poor wife into another man's arms.

House and Cuddy's relationship, well, he really didn't need House rubbing it in his face every chance he got, but he also knew that this was the happiest House had ever been, and he didn't want to shit all over that, or do anything to end it.

Work was, well, work. It was hard to get enthused about telling patients they were going to die almost daily, or putting them through one of the worst ordeals of their lives with Chemo and other treatments. It was especially hard at the holidays.

There was this one girl, Lauren, only sixteen, and she was going to spend Christmas in the hospital. He forced himself to stop thinking about it and heard laughter coming from the direction of Taub.

"I can't believe you said that," Amber looked at him with appreciation. Wilson wanted to shout at Taub to turn and run; to not take the path Wilson had taken. But Taub wasn't some young intern to be nurtured and taught the ways of the world. He was a grown man, and it was his own choice.

He felt a hand on his arm. "I really have to go." Robin was getting up.

"Client?" House asked, getting two kicks in the leg. One from Wilson across the table, and one from Cuddy beside him. He groaned in pain as both made contact.

Robin looked hurt for a split second. She was used to jerks like him, but it still hurt, in a social setting like this.

"I'll walk you to the door." Wilson glared at House as he rose from his seat.

He walked Robin to the door. "Sorry about House. He can be a real jerk sometimes."

"I'm used to guys like him." Robin turned as Wilson slipped her coat over her shoulders.

"Yeah, but you shouldn't have to be."

"Have a good Hanukkah James." She leaned in and kissed his cheek softly.

"Thank you Robin. You do the same." He felt like he was standing on a cloud.

"And you can tell Dr. House that I'm actually going to visit my son, not a client." She had discussed her son with Wilson before, so the news wasn't a surprise to him. Still, the bitterness in her voice was.

"Tell Ami I said hi." Wilson held up his hand quickly. "Wait right there." He ran over to the desk and pulled out a little wrapped package then returned to Robin. "It's not much, but..."

She smiled. "Thank you James. It was sweet of you to think of him."

"What can I say? I'm just a sweet kind of guy." Wilson had turned on the charm, but Robin did not kiss him again. She gave him a hug and then left.


	7. Time to Go

**Time to Go**

House cornered Cuddy in the living room after dinner. "Can we go now?"

"No."

"Let me rephrase that." House took the glass out of her hand. "We're going home now." He put it down on a nearby shelf. "Or should I have my way with you right here on the sofa." He took her by the arm and led her toward the sofa.

"Don't you dare." She thought about it for a moment. That was probably not the best thing to say to a slightly drunk House. She was proven right when he started undoing his pants. She grabbed his waistband to stop him from going too far. "Fine, we can go now."

"Well, if you insist." House looked at Amber who was close by and watching them curiously. "Can't keep her hands off me. You know how it is."

Amber shook her head and spoke uncertainly, "Noooo."

"Pity." House took Cuddy's hand and dragged her toward the door. He wasn't going to let her change her mind.

"We can at least say goodbye," Cuddy tried to stop him.

House turned and waved his cane at the room. "BYE!" He called out. "There, said goodbye, let's go." He headed toward the door again.

"Coats might be a good idea." She stood her ground, staring him down.

"Coats?" Crap! House had forgotten it was below freezing outside. He changed direction and dragged her toward the coat room...also known as Wilson's bedroom...a slow grin spread across his devious face. Getting their coats was a brilliant idea.

He closed and locked the door while Cuddy went to get their coats off the bed. "What was that?" Cuddy turned to look at him.

"What was what?" He smiled innocently and slowly walked toward her.

"That clicking?" It suddenly dawned on her. Though House's hands sliding up her shirt might have given her a slight hint. "You locked the door?" She raised one impeccably shaped brow.

"Did I?" He let his lips melt onto the soft skin of her neck.

"There's a room full of people out there," she squirmed in the arms he'd stealthily wrapped around her.

"Yes, there is." He unhooked her bra.

"House!" She squirmed again as his cold hands fell across her breasts. "Can't you wait till we get home?"

House thought about it for a moment as his thumbs danced over her nipples. "Don't think so." He could feel himself getting excited already. Too excited to walk through a room full of people without poking someone in the eye.

"Well, then, you're going to have to make it fast." She pulled at his pants. "Which shouldn't be a problem for you." She grinned as she slid down his zipper.

"Oh really?" That sounded like a challenge to him. A challenge he was definitely UP to. With all his masculine strength he pushed her back onto the bed.

"Really." Cuddy giggled as she tried to maneuver herself off someone's coat.

"Well, Lo gave that blow up doll a...blow up," House was so clever sometimes," that lasted less than a minute and a half. I think we can..."

"She did?" Cuddy sat up. Lo hadn't mentioned that. Then she realized he was just being funny. "Did she tell you this? Are you best buddies now?"

"No. I was there. I timed them." He pulled his pants down around his ankles and released the snake from it's tight cotton prison. He missed the days when Cuddy would gasp at the sight of it. She'd become so jaded by his massive endowment.

Cuddy, for her part, was sliding up her skirt and pulling off her panties.

"You've taken to voyeurism?" She pulled him by the neck down onto her. She loved the feeling of his weight pressing down on hers.

"I took to voyeurism when I was nine and saw my babysitter getting it on with her boyfriend."

"Well, shut up and let's break Lo's record." She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a long, hot kiss.

House felt the heat filling him quickly. He had no doubt he could last longer than a minute and a half, but not much longer. He had a lot of tension that needed to be released.

A knock at the door was followed by a quick rattle. "House? What are you doing in there? Taub and Amber want their coats," Wilson called through the door.

"Damn!" House wanted to ignore him, but Cuddy was starting to put up a fight. "Don't move a muscle." House grabbed a couple of coats and shuffled the short distance to the door. The pants around his ankles made him walk like a penguin, and Cuddy tried really hard not to laugh. But it was pretty funny.

House opened the door just enough to shove the coats at Wilson. "Now, leave us alone." House tried to shut the door, but Wilson stuck his foot in the way.

"Please tell me you're not having sex in there." He had just changed his sheets this morning. He didn't want to have to change them again.

"Okay, I won't." House slammed the door hard on Wilson's foot.

"OUCH!" Wilson did what was expected and pulled his foot back. House slammed the door shut and locked it.

"He'd better not interrupt us again." He waddled back toward Cuddy trying his hardest to look sexy and failing miserably.

"Maybe we should just go home House." The mood, for her, was killed.

"No. I want to have sex now." When House wanted something that he feared he wouldn't get, his six year old, tantrum throwing inner child came out to play.

"Fine, but make it quick." She laid back down on the bed, legs spread, arms out to her sides and waited.

"The hell?" House looked down at her.

"What are you waiting for?" She lifted her head and looked at him.

"You could at least pretend you're into it." House could get better service from a hooker. He wondered if Wilson would give him Robin's number.

"I'll be into it if we go home first." She hoped this was working.

"Fine, we will have our meal at home, but we're having an appetizer here." House climbed on top of her and pulled himself inside her.

She gasped in surprise, not ready for the heat and strength of his initial thrust. "Easy there!" She protested.

"You said you wanted a quickie. I've got to get some friction going first." He thrust into her again and again, savagely filling her with his manhood.

"I wanted a quickie House, not to be impaled." She was gasping her words. Despite her protest, she felt a ripple of pleasure rushing through her body. No matter what the circumstances, House always felt good deep inside her.

House grabbed the sheets beside her head. He felt himself cumming quickly. He'd been envisioning Cuddy and Robin having a lesbian tryst in his mind to help things along. It had done the trick.

Cuddy cried out as she felt him cum inside her. She hadn't anticipated her own release. That took more than a quickie. She was just happy to feel House release himself inside her. To feel his passion shoot out of him with abandon. It gave her a rush of power, a feeling of control.

"Now get dressed," she ordered, heady on that control.

"Who died and made you boss?"

"Dozens of your little soldiers," she replied cheekily, pulling down her skirt.

"Oh, very clever." House pulled up his pants and sealed himself back up.

"It's what happens when a person lives with you for a year."

"Has it been a year? Already?"

"Just about." She refused to admit she remembered the exact date he moved in with her. That was just too girly a thing to admit.

"Hmmm." House nodded as if he didn't also remember the date. He referred to it, in his head at least, as a date that would live in infamy.


	8. A Day That Would Live in Infamy

**A Day That Would Live in Infamy**

They had been seeing each other for a few months, technically. They'd had a few one night stands that neither of them counted as part of the 'relationship'. House had been spending an exorbitant amount of time at Cuddy's house. She didn't like spending the night at his place, as his shower wasn't as nice as hers.

House didn't object. She did have a really nice massaging shower head that was like getting a hot water shiatsu. It was a lot of fun when they were in there together.

As happens, House started leaving stuff there. At first it was toiletries. A toothbrush started the downward spiral, then it was a razor, though Cuddy often questioned the need, since he was never clean shaven. After the razor came a bar of soap, because it was just too wimpy to use that perfumed crap she used, and he wasn't going near the little loofah scrubber thing you had to pour the crap on.

He was perfectly happy with the way things were. When he needed to, he could retreat to his man cave. He still had poker night with the boys at his apartment, and he still hung out there once in a while with Wilson eating Chinese take out and watching Tivo'd porn. He had the best of both worlds.

Then his building went co-op. He had to buy the outdated, small apartment he'd been renting for nearly seven years for twice what it was worth, or he had to get out.

"They're co-opting my apartment," he informed Cuddy over breakfast one morning.

"Do you want to move in here?" She asked casually.

"Yeah." He answered without looking up from his scrambled eggs.

"When do you have to move out by?" She looked down at her Blackberry, which had vibrated.

"Next Tuesday." House cringed a little, waiting for her to yell. It was already Thursday.

"Better call a movers fast." She ignored the 'urgent' email about a shortage of tongue depressors. She happened to know there were 2000 of them sitting in the loading dock waiting for someone to move them to the storage room.

"Already did. They're coming this Saturday." He looked at her without looking up at her.

"Well, that's settled then." She got up and put her dish in the sink. "I'm going to go get ready for work. If you want a ride I'm leaving in an hour."

"I'll be waiting." House tried to process what had just happened. Was he moving in with Cuddy? Had it really been that easy? Nothing in his life was ever that easy. There had to be a catch.

Saturday came faster than he'd anticipated, and his apartment was half ready. Wilson was there. Julie was in cooking class. Well, they now knew that was code for sleeping with the gardener, or whomever else she could find. Cuddy showed up to make sure certain items were staying behind, or going to a good home that wasn't hers.

"You're not putting that in my house." She vetoed House's tacky plastic leg lamp, an old pinball game he'd kept in his bathroom for some odd reason (it hadn't worked since the 80's) and a massive collection of shot glasses.

"I've been collecting those since I was a boy."

"Do you use them?"

"No." That was besides the point.

"Do you dust them?" She knew that answer by the light grayish color of each once clear glass.

"No."

"Well, they're not going to sit around my house collecting dust. They can go into storage."

He agreed because she did let him keep his collection of vintage Playboy magazines, his Playstation was going to be set up in the living room, much to her dismay, and he got to replace her sad little outdated TV and stereo with his state of the art entertainment center. He never had much liked those stupid glasses anyway.

There had been some unwritten, unspoken understanding between them that he would move out eventually, and they would go back to dating but in the past year he had not looked at one new apartment, and she had not once asked if he had found anything yet. They had both grown comfortable with their living arrangement, and so long as they both believed it was temporary, they could go on like this forever.


	9. Proof

**Critical Blues**, I'm glad you like flashbacks. I'm thinking of peppering a few more into the story as we go along. Where Thanksgiving was about their relationships with their families, Hanukkah intends to be about their relationship with each other, so flashbacks would fit in nicely.

**Addicted1**, I too loved the Housian dramatics of that title. lol And thank you so much for your comment on the dialog. It really is my favorite part to write. House and Cuddy just have such a great dynamic.

**HOUSEM.D.FanForever**, he might be being domesticated, but he will never be HOUSE trained. lol

**Carla Fox**, oooh Carla, such a profound post. ;) But you are right. People love to lie to themselves to themselves to protect themselves from getting hurt, or at least to having to admit they might get hurt. The human ego is such a fragile thing.

**Southpaw**, thank you. I sometimes have a hard time determining when and where to start and end chapters. Their flashback seemed to be it's own little story, and so it got a small chap all it's own, though I was worried the chap was too small, but in the end I thought it worked well. Glad you liked it.

And now back to your regularly scheduled fanfic...

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Proof 

Dressed and slightly glowing, House and Cuddy finally emerged from the bedroom. Wilson and Lo were sitting at the table playing Monopoly. It was Wilson's favorite game. He was a cut throat player. Lo seemed to be keeping up with him. She might have actually been winning, but no one dared mention that.

"It's about time." Wilson had already decided to sleep on the couch tonight. He feared the nightmares he'd have in the bed his best friends had just fornicated in.

"Four minutes and thirty nine seconds," House said proudly, staring at Lo.

"Impressive." She didn't sound impressed.

"Where's Steve?" Cuddy looked around.

"He left." Lo answered unemotionally.

"Without a coat?" House was glad they hadn't been interrupted again.

"He's so hot he doesn't need a coat." He couldn't tell if Lo was picking on him, or Steve. He always had a hard time figuring her out.

"Well, we're going to get going." House put his arm around his girlfriend. He got very possessive of Cuddy when Lo was around.

"That's it? NOW you're going to leave?" Wilson was a tightly wound Jack in the Box. He was ready to pop. "You couldn't have left four minutes and thirty eight seconds ago?"

"Thirty nine seconds," House corrected.

"I don't care how long it took. You couldn't have left before you had sex on my bed!?" Wilson didn't care about being polite now. The party was over. The only person there was Lo, and she knew as well as he did what their friends were up to.

"Nope." House ushered Cuddy toward the door.

"Call me Lisa. I want to know everything." Lo called to her friend before turning her attention back to kicking Wilson's ass.

"Hey Lo," House called before leaving. "If you let him win, he'll put out."

"Good to know." Lo looked at Wilson who looked down and blushed. He wasn't sure if she would find that enticing or disgusting.

House shut the door on them and walked with Cuddy down the stairs. It looked very romantic, but was, in truth, his attempt not to fall on his ass. The sidewalk was coated with freshly fallen snow.

"It's snowing." Cuddy looked up into the sky. She loved snow. She'd always loved snow. She tried to catch a snowflake on her tongue.

"What the hell are you doing?" House stopped and watched her.

"Catching snowflakes. You've never did that as a kid?" She thought all kids who grew up with snow had tried to catch snowflakes on their tongue.

"I was too busy catching the shit my father was throwing at me."

For a moment Cuddy had to wonder if he was being literal. But he wasn't. She was sure of that. "Try it." She grabbed his arm and put her tongue out again.

"I'm not trying that. You look like an idiot." House shook his head.

She smiled radiantly at him. "Sometimes it's okay to look like an idiot House. Loosen up."

"I'll loosen up when the pain in my leg eases up." He knew that would get her. It was a low blow, but he was cold and just wanted to go home and get laid. Of course, he might have just killed any chance of that happening. "Come on." He pulled her arm and headed for the car.

"I..."

"Forget it." He grumbled. It was too late, the damage was done.

They drove home in silence. House was starting to rethink his elaborately planned Hanukkah surprise. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. Cuddy was concentrating on the road and trying not to think of anything at all.

House's hand sat absentmindedly on his scar until he saw her glance down at it. Her face darkened and he pulled his hand away quickly.

"House I..." She had stopped the car in the garage and looked over at him.

"No." He was not in the mood for another stilted conversation about his pain or his leg or much of anything.

"House..." she said more emphatically.

"I don't want to talk about it." House got out of the car and grumbled toward the door.

Cuddy hurried after him. "House, stop." She grabbed his arm.

"What?" He snapped, spinning around to look at her.

She raised herself up on her toes and put her mouth very close to his ear. So close that her lips brushed against his lobe as she spoke, sending a chill through his body. "I love you."

House stood and stared at her. She'd said that to him before. He'd even said it back. But the weight of those words still pressed down upon him. "Prove it." House made sure there was a playful edge to his voice.

"Excuse me?" Cuddy looked at him, hand on the door, key in the lock. She froze for a moment, worried about what he might come out with next.

"Prove you love me." House put his hand on hers and helped her unlock the door, then pushed the door open.

"How?" She wasn't going to commit to anything until she knew what he was thinking.

"Kiss me." House grinned. He was certain she was expecting some sick, twisted proposition.

"That's all?" They were inside now, and she closed the door behind them.

"It needs to be a kiss that proves to me that you love me." House leaned forward, awaiting his kiss.

"And that's all?" Cuddy knew there had to be a catch. This was House. There was always a catch.

"That's all."

Cuddy looked deep into his eyes. Her smile lighting up the small space they occupied, blinding him in it's warmth. Then he saw her coming closer, she was resting her hands on his shoulders for support as she lifted her mouth toward his. He looked down, waiting.

Her lips came within millimeters of his. She parted her lips and her sweet breath mingled with his own. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. He watched as her own chest heaved excitedly. Her tongue slid out of her mouth and she slowly licked her lips. The anticipation was killing him, but he waited.

She breathed him in, taking a long, slow, longing breath before her bottom lip touched, ever so gently, his own. It was the phantom of a touch, so soft, so delicate that for a moment he thought he'd imagined it. But it happened again. This time both her lips brushed ever so slightly against his. He felt them quivering for his taste.

His whole body was shaking now. He wanted to grab her, throw her down, take her right there, but he waited. He wanted to see what she would do next.

What she did next was to slip her tongue out of her mouth. It slid between his open lips quickly, like a snake slithering out of it's hiding space for a brief moment, before once again hiding itself, awaiting it's prey.

House made an indescribable noise. It wasn't quite a whimper, or a gasp, or any other sound one could easily define. It was the pained noise of anticipation and desire. It was a subconscious cry out for fulfillment.

Cuddy's hands slid down his back, wrapping him in a warm, inviting embrace. He fell into her arms willingly. He was her willing prey, ready to be devoured at her will. Ready to satisfy whatever hunger she felt.

She took a deep breath in, and he thought she'd inhaled his soul, then she released her intoxicating breath into his mouth, her lips pressing so very gently against his. She started to kiss him, deeply, her mouth tasting him as if for the first time.

House couldn't take it any more. He threw his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. His tongue sunk deep between her lips, exploring her mouth for the first time for about the hundredth. He knew every inch of her body by heart, but each touch was like the first. Full of the same tingling anticipation and growing excitement he felt the first time he'd touched her, over twenty years ago.

House let out a yelp of surprise when he felt himself being shoved down onto the bed. He hadn't been aware of any sort of movement, and yet, they were now in the bedroom, and she was now unbuttoning his shirt.

House let her undress him, enjoying the feel of her hands on his flesh, enjoying the passion with which she watched his body being slowly revealed.

She had him stripped quickly, down to nothing but a love struck smile. Then it was her turn. She walked over to the stereo and flipped on some music. It was jazz. Not the kind that was meant to put people to sleep, or rouse them to action, but the kind that was perfect to make love to, full of ups and downs and crazy twists and turns. It was the play list they often listened to when they were feeling frisky. It was his favorite play list.

Coltrane started the show, playing a smooth, slow sax that was made for a slow, seductive dance much like the one Cuddy was doing right now. House pulled himself up to a sitting position to watch as she pulled her tight shirt up over her head with the smooth seduction of a professional. He'd often joked to her that she worked her way through college on the stripper scholarship. She laughed it off, but watching her as she flung the shirt to the ground and wrapped her slender arms around her back to unhook her bra, he was starting to think he might have been right.

He stopped thinking all together when her bra hit him in the head.

As Coltrane's beautiful instrument wailed its pained notes, Cuddy shimmied her skirt down over her hips, letting it fall to the floor at her feet then slickly stepping out of it. She was down to a thong, his favorite pit of clothing, and thigh high stockings. She claimed she preferred them to actual panty hose, but House often wondered if she wore them for his benefit, because they were hot.

Cuddy prowled over to him, her legs moving one in front of the other in a way that made her body sway in the most appealing way possible. House caught his breath when one high heeled foot came down next to his right hip.

His eyes were big as saucers as she began to roll the stocking down, her body leaning toward him as she went. She planted a wet kiss on his anxious lips before pulling back and slipping both shoe and stocking off. She followed the same pattern with the other foot. House again gasped as her other leg came down, and again fell into her kiss as she met his lips with hers.

When they were done, there was nothing but a thong keeping him from the woman he loved. Cuddy took care of that in a flash, dropping it to the floor beside her as she climbed on top of him. Her long legs folded beside his hips, her long arms slid around his neck. His hands immediately slipped over her firm, tight ass, pulling her more comfortably onto him.

The music switched over to something with a more undulating rhythm, and their bodies moved as one, swaying backward and foreword in a sweaty dance they had perfected long ago.

Cuddy ran her hands through his hair, pulling his head back sharply. House was about to cry out, but she pressed her mouth tightly to his, and his cry was muffled by a passionate kiss. "Do you believe I love you now?" She asked, her hands sliding down his sweat slicked body.

"Oh God yes!" House felt all the proof he needed between his thighs.

"You really are easy," she half laughed, half cried as she felt him brush against her sweet spot.

"And that's a guarantee," he breathed heavily, smiling at her as he came.

They crashed down onto the bed together, still entwined in one another, sweat binding them together as their limbs remained twisted as one.

"I'm so glad you love me," House said, pushing a bit of hair off her face before kissing her hot forehead.

"You're lucky I love you," she corrected, burying her head in his shoulder.

He could not dispute that fact. It might have taken him twenty years to wear her down, but Lisa Cuddy was finally his and in seven days...


	10. On the Second Day of Hanukkah

**AND IN SEVEN DAYS WHAT!?** That was such an evil cliffhanger, wasn't it? I almost feel guilty. But you're all just going to have to wait a little longer.. :) (trust me, it will be worth it)

LOL **Critical Blues** that was a...well...confusing review. :) But I'm going to go out on a limb and say you liked my fornicating chapter? LMAO

"that was a GREAT description of a GREAT kiss!" the only thing that would have made it better was if I was doing it instead of writing about it. :( But then I wouldn't be sharing it with lovely people like you, **Carla Fox** so I guess I'll keep writing about it.

**nandafm88**, hopefully your boyfriend has shown up by now, and you got to act out some of what you read. ;) PS: Glad you love Wilson, cause the poor boy could use all the lovin' he can get.

**Sophie Deutiers**, thank you so very much for this comment "It's a plausible representation of a Huddy relationship." As a writer, it means a lot to know that I am staying true to the characters and their relationship.

Now back to the show.

* * *

**On the Second Day of Hanukkah, My True Love Gave to Me...**

Cuddy walked into her office and threw her papers down on the desk. She noticed the package immediately. She recognized the wrapping. It was from House. Because of that, she was in no hurry to open it. She was still in a daze over her first Hanukkah gift.

After settling into her chair, checking her voice mail and email and realizing that not opening it was more aggravating than actually opening it, she picked up the small, flat, round package with trepidation. "What the hell?" She said causally as she tore into the wrapping.

In seconds she was holding a roll of tape about the size and width of masking tape. The label said "Autoclave Tape" among other things. Cuddy hurried out of her office.

"A roll of tape?" She'd hardly let House say hello as she barged into his office.

"You opened your present?" He smiled hopefully.

"A roll of tape?" She waved the roll of tape at him.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"First you get me antiseptic and now tape?" She looked at the roll of tape one last time. Maybe she'd missed something.

House frowned. She wasn't getting it. "First I gave you Mexsana, then I gave you Autoclave tape." He tried to nudge her in the right direction.

"That's what I said."

"No. You said antiseptic and tape, but it's Mexsana and Autoclave tape." All the effort he'd put into this, and she wasn't getting it. Maybe it was too soon.

"It's the same thing House," she explained as though talking to a child.

"No, Cuddy, it's not. There is actually a very distinct difference," he replied, equally patronizing.

"Did you steal this too?" She dropped the tape on his desk.

"Not steal, borrow. I borrowed the Autoclave tape along with the Mexsana."

"You didn't borrow them, House, you stole them. Borrowing implies the intention of returning them. That's the difference between borrowing and stealing."

"You can put them back when Hanukkah is over."

"..." Cuddy opened her mouth to speak, then closed it when she realized she had no idea what he was up to. "You're giving me presents you expect me to put back?" This was making little sense to her.

"Yes." House really didn't want to have to spell this all out for her. He really hoped she knew him well enough to figure it out on her own.

"Great," she said with a strange look on her face. Leave it to her to pick the one guy on earth who got his gifts out of the supply closet at work, and expected her to put them back. "So basically, you're giving me nothing."

"Hanukkah is not over yet."

Cuddy frowned. House worried about the crease between her brows. She wasn't getting any younger, and if she kept doing that, she would get wrinkles, but he thought this wasn't the best time to bring that up. "Is this one of your stupid puzzles?"

"No. It's one of my clever riddles. Solve it, and you win a prize." He beamed a little too proudly.

"If you're the prize I think I'll pass." She smiled back at him. His move.

"Maybe Lo would like to solve the puzzle then." He had gotten up and was walking toward her.

Cuddy cracked up. "Lo wouldn't touch you or your little puzzle with a ten foot pole."

House mocked hurt. "You mean she wouldn't touch my ten foot pole with a..." he suddenly realized that wasn't much better so he stopped.

"Exactly." Cuddy turned triumphantly and walked out. He loved watching her walk away. Her ass swayed gently beneath her lab coat. He could work out the contours as though he were wearing x-ray glasses. Ooh, that reminded him...

House's brilliant thought was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Go away," House called to no avail.

Chase opened the door. "I needed to talk to you."

"I said go away."

"You always say that." Chase had learned long ago to ignore House.

Chase picked up the roll of tape on his desk and began fondling it.

"That's not yours." House snatched the tape out of Chase's hands.

"It's just a roll of tape."

"It is NOT just a roll of tape," House said irrationally. "It is the piece to a very important puzzle." He put the tape in his bag. He'd have to give it back to her later.

"What kind of puzzle?" Chase was intrigued.

"One that's not meant for you." House answered. "Is there any reason you're still here?" He glared.

"Uh, yes."

"No." House snapped.

"I haven't even asked yet!"

"No," House repeated.

"Cameron invited me to her parents house for Christmas..."

"Are you hard of hearing?" House leaned across the desk and shouted "NO" into Chase's ear.

Chase recoiled. There was now a slight ringing in his ear, disorienting him. "It's our first Christmas as a couple and I don't have anyone else to..."

"Do I look like I care?" House had never really been a fan of Christmas, or any holiday that expected him to spend time with his family.

"I want to get her something special..."

"And you want MY advice?" Chase's naivety still managed to surprise House consistently.

"You know what she likes."

"I AM what she likes."

Chase looked hurt, but carried on. "She's over you now House.

"No but you have plenty of staff now. You don't need me..." This meant a lot to Chase and he wasn't going to back down.

"Fine, go." He'd already given Cameron the time off a few weeks ago.

"Thank you," Chase sprung to his feet. He fought the compelling urge to hug the gruff old man, and instead ran out of the office to tell his girlfriend.

Cuddy headed straight to her office. The red light on her phone was blinking. The message was from Lydia. She 'accidentally' erased it. The next message was from a patient who wanted to complain about Dr. Cameron's treatment last week. Cuddy was intrigued and listened to the message in it's entirety. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Cameron's moral judgments rubbed someone the wrong way. House was going to have a ball with this one.

She was about to call House when the phone rang. It was Lo. "Hey, I got another strange gift from House."

"I got a...gift of my own. You first."

"Tape. No, wait, Autoclave tape. He says it's part of a puzzle."

"First antiseptic and now tape?"

First Mexsana and now Autoclave tape. He chastised me for that mistake before." She laughed. Then remembered what Lo had said. "What did you get?"

"House's friend Jimmy gave me an orgasm. It was quite a nice one too."

"Please tell me you're kidding." Cuddy knew Wilson's track record with women. He'd been married three times since she'd known him, and divorced two and a half times.

"I'm kidding."

"You're not really kidding, are you?" Cuddy knew her friend too well.

"No."

"He's not even divorced yet."

"Technicality." Lo wasn't going to let Cuddy ruin her afterglow basking.

"Oh Lo, don't be that woman..."

"What woman?"

"The kind that sleeps with a married man on a technicality."

"Relax. It was just sex."

"Wilson doesn't do just sex. He's looking for the fourth Mrs. Wilson."

"Well he's not going to find it here," Lo said in protest. "You know I'm never getting married."

"Well, you might want to tell him that."

"I have...sort of."

"Sort of? Lo..."

"Just trust me Li. It'll be fine."

"Well, I don't like it." Cuddy had always been the adult in their friendship.

"You don't have to." Lo wasn't hurt by Cuddy's overprotective ways. She thought it was cute, if a bit annoying. "Just be careful."

"I always am."

"That's certainly debatable."

"And that's enough about me. Have you discussed marriage with your sadistic other?"

"He's not sadistic! And no."

"So I should kiss my dreams of a double wedding good-bye?" Lo teased.

"Oh shut up!"

"I was hoping we could write each other's vows," Lo kept going.

"I'm hanging up now," Cuddy threatened.

"No you're not, you're telling me you're hanging up, but I don't hear any..."

CLICK. Cuddy had hung up on her best friend.

She laughed and shook her head. Lo and Wilson. That would end in tears.


	11. Will the Fourth Mrs Wilson Please Run

**HOUSEM.D.FanForever**, I love you and your dirty mind. :) I've even got one of my own. (and yes, I did giggle slightly when I wrote about Chase fondling House's thingy)

**SavvyKitten**, you clearly live up to your savvy reputation.

**Scuddyrific** I would LOVE to see Lo on the show. I've already got the actress to play her in mind. In my story she's based on Rachael Harris (If you've seen Notes From the Underbelly, she's Cooper, the ONLY reason to bother watching that show. If you've seen Best Week Ever on VH1, she's a frequent commentator. Either way, she totally rocks) PS: I don't ever want to be pregnant, but we can share puppies if you'd like.

**nandafm88**, tell you're boyfriend to get his ass back home, you have something you need to do to him. And Happy New Year to you too.

**Sophie Deutiers**, LOL, yeah, Lo has very questionable taste in men. But at least poor Wilson is getting some. :)

**Critical Blues**, Ah, your review was fornicating confusing, but fornicating awesome!

Now, all, fornicate off and read the next chapter. **

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**

Will the Fourth Mrs. Wilson Please Run for your Life 

Wilson burst into the office. His rosy cheeks were creased in a smile. "I am a sex god. You are looking at a sex god." His face hurt from grinning.

House looked up, amused. "I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark here and guess that you had sex last night?"

"Lots of sex." Wilson was so proud.

"Your hand must be tired." House grinned.

Wilson glared angrily for a moment. "I'm not...I didn't..."

"So, you and Lo?"

Wilson grinned mischievously. "She's using me for sex."

House frowned. "You? Really?"

"I happen to be a sex god, House."

"So I've heard."

"We were playing Monopoly and then, all of a sudden she asked me to have sex with her. I wasn't even winning."

"And it didn't occur to you to say no?"

"To sex?" Wilson finally plopped down into a chair.

"good point."

"I didn't know the human body could get into those shapes."

"You're naivety is what first drew me to you."

"You're bitterness is what drew me to you," Wilson shot back.

"You should seek help."

"My therapist said I'm beyond help."

"So, when do you think you'll marry this one?"

"It's different this time House. She doesn't need me for anything but sex. There's nothing to rescue her from."

"Maybe she's the one doing the rescuing." It was an offhanded remark that was full of meaning.

Wilson felt afraid of the potential truth or House's words. "It's just sex!" It was all he could think to say.

"Yeah, you mentioned that." House could already tell it was a lot more than just sex.

"It's the new me, House. Jimmy Wilson, stud for hire."

"She paid you?" NOW House was impressed.

"NO!" Wilson was shocked at the suggestion.

"Amateur." House shook his head in disappointment.

"Sex isn't a commodity House. It's a loving bond between two people..."

"Loving bond? Is that what it is, stud for hire?"

"I'm not...it's not..." Damn, he was caught. "It's just sex."

"The loving bond?"

"It's not always a loving bond."

"It is for you."

"Not anymore. I told you, this is the new me."

"The stud for hire?"

"Yeah." Wilson sounded less self assured than he did when he walked into House's office. It had been a bad idea to come here. "How's the Hanukkah thing going for you?"

House smiled. "Evasion. Nice."

"I took a psych class in college."

"That explains why you're so screwed up."

"I'm not screwed up."

"What do you call being friends with me?"

Wilson grimaced. "Pretty screwed up."

"So, you gonna ask her out?"

"Who?"

"The hooker." House had already moved on from Lo to a hotter, at least in his mind, topic.

"Her name is Robin, and we're just friends."

"So, you're 'just friends' with the hot hooker and 'fuck buddies' with the frigid bitch."

"She's not frigid." Wilson protested.

"Well, she is a bitch."

"You only think that because she doesn't like you."

"She doesn't like me because she's a bitch."

"Whatever you say." Wilson wasn't in the mood to argue. He was feeling too high on his own virility.

"Well, since you asked for my advice..."

"I didn't..."

"I think you should forget about Lo and give the hooker..."

"Robin..."

"a call."

"First, I didn't ask for your advice. Second, Robin and I are just friends."

"But she's needy." House pleaded.

"She's not needy. She's been taking care of herself for years."

"But if you marry her, she could stop hooking."

"It's her choice..."

"And as a doctor's wife, she might get custody of her son back."

Wilson winced. It wasn't the first time he'd thought of that. He'd even offered to marry her, a marriage of convenience, to help her get Ami back. She'd turned him down cold, reminded him they were just friends, and that was all they would ever be. "Wanna go get some lunch?"

"You buying?"

"I can't believe you actually asked me that question. When have I ever not bought?"

"It was back in 1998. You were having financial difficulties."

"I was getting divorced."

"Yeah, and you'd forgotten your wallet at whatever nurse's house you were staying at."

The two friends laughed their way down the hallway. House was done pushing the issue of Lo and Robin, and Wilson was certainly not going to bring it up again, so their conversation turned to other things.


	12. On the Third Day of Hanukkah

**"**imagine Wilson in leather pants, and one of his blue vest, all greased up and having that 'I'm too sexy' look." You just HAD to go there, didn't you **Critical Blues**? Now I'm NEVER going to get that image out of my head.

**Scuddyrific**, I accept your proposal. We shall have a lovely little cottage on Baker Street, just a ways down from PPTH were we can go and stalk the medical staff and taunt House with your adorable baby boy and our puppies. It'll drive him nuts.

Why is it that I now here that bad 70s porn music whenever I see Wilson's name? chicky chicky bow bow

"And I liked the idea of "just sex" for Wilson, the man needs a change..." Yes, **nandafm88** I agree. Lo should be a good influence on our White Knight.

Awe, quite a few of you already figured out what House is up to, and it's only been two gifts. You all might want to get some therapy, because it's not a good sign when you're thinking like House (or in this case me, which could be worse. :S)

**

* * *

**

**On the Third Day of Hanukkah, My True Love Gave to Me**

House brought Thai home for dinner. Cuddy was sitting at her desk, going over the hospital's annual financial records. "That smells phenomenal." She got up and followed him into the kitchen.

"What can I say, I'm an excellent cook." House pulled out some plates while Cuddy got the glasses. "Talk to Lo today?"

Cuddy looked at him for a moment. "Yes." She poured out two glasses of chai iced tea.

"Did she tell you about her and Wilson?" House carried the plates to the table carefully.

"Yes." Cuddy put his glass in front of him and took a sip from hers, her eyes watching him carefully.

"And..."

"And?" They stared at each other for a silent moment. "It's none of our business House."

"Since when has that stopped you?" He cracked a smile.

Cuddy sighed. "I told her she's making a big mistake."

"Yeah, well, you'd better tell her to back off. If I have to hear Wilson go on like he did today...there's not enough Vicodin in the world to get through another locker room talk with the Dud Muffin."

Cuddy snickered. "The Dud Muffin?"

"It's my new name for him."

"It's cute."

House made a face. He didn't do cute.

"And why should I tell Lo to back off? Maybe you should tell Wilson to slow down."

"Telling Wilson to slow down is like telling the sun to go from west to east. It might work in an alternate universe, but there's only so much I can do about the laws of physics."

"And here I thought you were all powerful," she teased.

"I am...where you're concerned." He did something under the table that made her squeal with delight.

"Anyway, I did tell her to back off, but I don't think it's going to happen." Cuddy sighed. She really was worried about one of her friends getting hurt.

"Well, this is gonna get interesting." House finished his Thai and started in on her plate. She stabbed him with her fork a couple of times, but when he persisted, she gave up and pushed her plate toward him.

"I've got to get that report done by tomorrow. Don't wait up." She headed back to work.

House made a face, but kept eating.

The next morning, when Cuddy woke up, House was gone. He'd unset her alarm. "Damn!" She looked at the time. She had ten minutes to get up and get to work if she was going to make that 9:00 meeting.

She jumped out of bed and threw on the suit she'd set aside the evening before. It was her favorite suit, a deep rosy tweed, tight in all the right places. She knew half the board wouldn't be listening to a word she was saying, which was exactly what she wanted. The less they heard, the less they could object to.

She ran a comb through her hair quickly and applied only a minimum of makeup. She silently thanked her parents for her flawless skin as she rushed passed the mirror and out the door.

She was late for the meeting.

"Sorry I'm late," she barged into the conference room and looked at the annoyed, impatient faces that stared back at her. She was in a position at the hospital where she didn't need to make excuses, so she didn't. She simply got right down to business.

She sat in her seat and pulled her report out of her briefcase. While she was doing so, she felt something else. Something that shouldn't have been there. She peeked down and noticed the familiar blue wrapping paper. House had slipped a largish, flat present in her bag.

The meeting seemed to go on forever. All Cuddy could think about was the present awaiting her in her briefcase. What could House possibly have gotten her this time. She cut short any questions with rapid fire answers. She'd spent the night anticipating any question the board might have, and coming up with solid replies.

When she finally escaped, only an hour had passed. She'd broken her previous record of 68 minutes. She walked out with her head high and a spring in her step. Dr. Yang tried to stop her for a debate on the necessity of additional nursing staff, but she dismissed him with a lie about a conference call she was due to be on. She doubted he believed her, but he had the tact to walk away.

Once in her office she tore open the present. She stared at it for a long time, then got up and carried it to House's office.

"What's this?" She waved the black and white image in his face.

"I know it's been a while since you've been a real doct..."

"I know what it is House. Who's is it?"

House took the image from her and held it up to the light. "Well, I'd say it is someone with a fractured rib." He handed it back.

"And why did you give it to me?"

"Because I thought a fractured rib would turn you on?" House guessed.

Cuddy glared. "It's an X-Ray of someone. You won't tell me who, so I'm assuming the someone isn't important." She studied his reactions. "So, it's the type of fracture that's important..." she could tell by the subtle shaking of his head that she was wrong. "The fact that it's a rib?"

House started to shake his head, but then he thought about it. "Yeah, that'll work."

Cuddy was at her wits end. She had too much to worry about to deal with him and his games. "What do you mean 'that'll work?' Are these ridiculous gifts of your supposed to mean something or are you just trying to drive me insane?"

"Ummm, C, all of the above."

Cuddy hit him over the head with the X-ray. "Put this back where ever you found it. In fact, why don't you just put all my presents back where you got them. I'm not playing your game House." The only game that mattered at the moment was the one she was playing with the Board. It was a $10,000,000.00 game of Monopoly, and if she didn't play it just right, a lot of sick people would become a lot of dead people in 2008.

"You have to play." House frowned. He sounded so earnest that she melted a bit.

"Well, at least return the X-Ray. Someone probably needs it." She dropped it on his desk.

"Oh, give me a little credit Cuddy. This patient doesn't need this Radiograph. They're already dead."

Somehow that didn't make Cuddy feel better, but she snatched it up and turned to leave.

House grabbed her arm and spun her around. "You know I love you, right?" He didn't wait for an answer. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

He hated seeing her stressed like this, when he wasn't the one making her stressed. It ruined all his fun. "We should go away."

"You know I have to finalize next years budget." She would love to go away with him.

"Just for a weekend." He kissed her again, knowing it would make it harder for her to say no.

"It's not a good time." She was so tired, and so weary from battling the board, she just didn't feel up to it.

"Another time perhaps." House sounded defeated, broken. She'd never shut him down so quickly before. Maybe things were worse than she was letting on. He made a mental note to investigate. No point asking her, she'd only say she was fine, and then he wouldn't be able to snoop around as easily.

"I'd like that." She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, not ready to leave the warmth and comfort of his arms. She would love nothing more than to run off with him and escape all her worries, but that would be irresponsible, and Lisa Ellen Cuddy was not irresponsible.

"Me too," House whispered so quietly there was no way she could hear him.


	13. Lunch With Lo

**Lunch with Lo**

Cuddy had lunch with Lo that afternoon. It wasn't planned, but when Lo showed up at the office she nearly dragged Cuddy back out with her. "You need to get out of here." Lo dragged Cuddy's rolling chair across the room to the coat rack.

"I need to finish this report." Cuddy tried to scoot it back to her desk. Lo followed her, pulling the coat over one arm, and then the other.

"You need to eat, right?"

"I brought leftovers." Cuddy held up the bag she'd pulled out just before Lo arrived.

Lo wrinkled her nose, grabbed the bag and tossed it in the trash. "Not gonna happen. Come one." She pulled Cuddy's arms, trying to get her out of the chair.

"I can't."

"You really are all grown up aren't you?" Lo shook her head, disappointed.

"Take that back!"

"Will not!"

"I just have a lot going on."

"Like lunch with your best friend."

Cuddy sighed. "Where are you taking me?"

"We could go to Yoshi's." It was Lo's favorite local Japanese restaurant. She once dated the owner Yoshi Morimoto.

"Fine." It was more than fine for Cuddy. She loved sushi, and House was not so fond of it. Didn't see the point of paying someone to not cook, though she thought that was just an excuse and thought it had something to do with the time he lived in Japan. Maybe he'd just ODed on the stuff.

Yoshi's was packed, but Lo got them a table right away. She didn't mention to Cuddy that she'd called ahead to make a reservation. Didn't want Cuddy to know that it wasn't a spur of the moment kind of thing.

"So, did you get your next present yet?" Lo seemed more into this big Hanukkah mystery than her friend was. Then again, Lo was in a slow phase at work, so she had time to ponder such things.

"An x-ray...of a rib." Cuddy thought of what House had said and shook her head. "A radiograph of a rib." Then it hit her. He was choosing his words so carefully. Mexsana...Autoclave Tape...Radiograph of a Rib.

Lo's face lit up. "Did you figure it out?"

"I don't know." Cuddy was running the words over and over in her head. They really had nothing in common aside from being from the hospital. At first she thought maybe he was hinting that her real gift would be hidden in the supply room, since that's where both the Mexsana and Autoclave tape came from, but he'd ruined that theory with the X-ray.

"You do. I can tell." Lo was bouncing in her seat. She was too excited to order when the waiter came over and just told him to surprise her. Cuddy ordered the dragon roll.

"I think he's spelling something. He keeps correcting me when I don't call things by their proper name. At first I thought he was just being House..."

"A jackass?"

"Yeah." Cuddy laughed. Lo never did beat around the bush. "But maybe there is more to it."

"So?"

Cuddy looked a question at her friend.

"What do we have so far?" She ran it off in her head to the best of her memory. "Some sort of antiseptic.. Mexicoma?"

"Mexsana."

"And the tape..." Lo was very excited now. She felt like Nancy Drew, her childhood hero.

"Autoclave tape."

"And an X-Ray of ribs?"

"Radiograph."

"M-A-X..." Lo wasn't listening. She was already trying to put the puzzle together. "But we don't know they're in the right order..."

"I think they are. And it's not M-A-X. It's M-A-R."

"Margaret...Martian...Ooh, is he trying to tell you he's out of this world?" Lo nearly fell out of her chair laughing.

"I think..." Cuddy didn't want to jinx it. "No. It can't be." She shook her head as she counted out the letters. "It doesn't fit."

"What doesn't fit?" Lo was too excited to count out letters. They were about to solve the mystery. Just like Holmes and Watson. Only that would make her Watson. And wasn't he kind of fat and bald? No, that wouldn't do at all. Maybe the Hardy Boys. Only girls.

"Nothing. It's silly." Cuddy was embarrassed to say it out loud. What if she was wrong?

"Tell me or I'll hurt you."

But this was Lo. There was no harm in telling Lo. Besides she needed someone to tell her it was a ridiculous idea. "I think he's proposing."

"?" Lo's expression said it all.

"M-A-R...R-Y?"

"M-E? NO WAY!" Lo squealed.

"Yeah, that's not like House at all. He doesn't even want to get married."

"M-A-R-R-Y-M-E. That's brilliant. And it's EXACTLY like House. Tricky, devious, subtle, and cheap. He hasn't had to buy you anything, and it's still the best present ever. Damn, if I didn't hate him, I'd marry him myself."

"Over my dead body."

"Well obviously." Lo giggled. "He's crazy about you Lisa. He's not going to marry me with you around. I'd have to bump you off just to get him to look at me."

Cuddy's face burst into a smile. "Don't say anything." The last thing she wanted was for House to know.

"About my murder plans? Who do you think I'm going to tell?"

"About the proposal. What if I'm wrong? He'd never let me live it down."

"You're not wrong Lisa. He's proposing to you. I don't know if I can wait another...how many days are left? Four, right?" She counted the letters.

"Five."

"You sure?"

"I've only celebrated the holiday since I was born. I'm pretty sure I know how long it lasts."

"But..."

"The ring." Cuddy knew what Lo was thinking. The letters only spelled out seven days. There was no other possibility for the eighth day. It had to be his mothers engagement ring. Lo was going to die laughing when she found out that he didn't buy that either. She always found him to be a cheapskate.

"Oh My God! The Ring!"

Now, Lo prided herself on being a modern woman, on not needing a man in her life. She had no intention of getting married or having children, but she knew what they meant to her friend and felt enthusiastic on Cuddy's behalf.

Cuddy took a long, deep breath as the waiter placed their plates down in front of them. "I could be wrong." She didn't want to get her hopes up, again.

"Yeah, but you're not." Lo looked at her assortment of sushi with glee. A few of her favorites were on the plate, and a couple things she'd never tried before. She started with those, eager to explore new flavors.

After half the sushi was gone, and the women had slowed down to a relaxed eating pace, Cuddy started the conversation back up again. "So, what are you going to do about Wilson?"

"Um, nothing." Lo knew where this was headed.

"He's very vulnerable Lo."

"So am I," Lo protested.

"Exactly."

Lo pulled out her cell phone. She'd had enough of this conversation. "Excuse me. I'm just going to call the hospital and tell your boyfriend that you worked out his little puzzle."

Cuddy stretched across the table to grab the phone. "Don't you dare!"

"What where we just talking about?" Lo held the phone out or reach, aka, down her blouse.

"Nothing," Cuddy mumbled.

"That's what I thought." Lo reached down to get her phone, but it slipped farther down her shirt. "Shit. I lost it."

Cuddy laughed as she watched Lo squirm, her arm buried deep in her shirt. The waiter came over with the bill and after a moment of heavy staring turned and hurried away. "You haven't changed."

"Neither have you. Stop worrying so much. It'll give you wrinkles."


	14. A Budget Meeting By Any Other Name

**A Budget Meeting By Any Other Name...**

House knocked, which was enough to make Wilson suspicious. On top of that, House hadn't made any comment about Wilson's mismatched socks, something House usually would have jumped on. "What's up?" Wilson asked cautiously.

"You're cholesterol, if you keep eating this crap." House pulled the bag of chips out of Wilson's hand and dug his hand into it. He pulled out a handful of chips and shoved them in his mouth. Wilson had to wait for him to stop chomping before he could speak.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear. What are you up to House?"

"About 190."

"House." Wilson stared at his friend and waited.

"How are those budget meetings going?" House had dropped the bag of chips back on the desk and was now fiddling with the cup full of pens.

"Since when do you care about budget meetings?"

"Since they're disrupting my sex life."

Wilson cringed. "I don't need to hear about your sex life House."

"I don't need to crank page Dr. Hardy, but I do it anyway."

"Yeah, but that's funny." Wilson snickered when he recalled the last page House had sent to Dr. Hardy. The man was in the middle of a 'massage'. Wilson didn't realize someone that old could get that hard. Bad image. Wilson shook it out of his head.

"What do you do in those meetings anyway?" House tried to sound casual, disinterested, but he was having trouble controlling his concern.

"The budget. That's why we call them budget meetings. I know it's not terribly creative, but it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"What's so great about the budget? You've had meetings almost every day this week."

"Cuddy is responsible for a lot of money House." Wilson furrowed his brow at his friend. Could it really be? Did House actually not realize how much responsibility his girlfriend actually had at the hospital?

"Yeah, but she was last year too. Just copy that budget and be done with it."

Wilson laughed. "It's not that easy."

"Why?"

Wilson sighed. House wasn't going to back down until he got answers. "Look, Cuddy pissed off a lot of people when she decided to give you a new team. Some people were under the impression that you were on your way out the door when your team left. Instead, she poured more money into your department."

"With good reason."

"I know." Wilson had been one of Cuddy's few supporters when the matter of the Diagnostics Department came up. "But you can't be so naive as to think that you're relationship with her has not made her job more difficult. Dr. Brady has been using it as an excuse to get your tenure removed, to get Cuddy removed from the board. He's even mentioned disbarment."

"That pompous windbag. I dare him to try to disbar me."

"He wasn't talking about you, House." Wilson felt nervous. This was NOT going to sit well with House.

"You can't be serious!" House was outraged, and thoughts of a dark alley and a crowbar flashed across his mind for a brief moment.

"She's had to work hard to prove not only that you belong here, which she has to do every year, but to prove that she still belongs here. House, I know you think things like this don't matter, that you should be able to sleep with whoever you want and everybody should just mind their own business, but the world just doesn't work that way. There are consequences, for everything. Lucky for you, Cuddy has been taking on all those consequences herself. But maybe it's time for you to step up to the plate and do something to help her."

House wanted to lash out at the messenger. He wanted to bite Wilson's head off for implying that he was hiding behind Cuddy. Instead he sat there, thinking.

"House?" Wilson's query fell on deaf ears.

House's mind was racing. He had always known the truth. She had pushed him away for years because of what others would say or do if they became a couple. He had pushed her, tormented her about it, until he'd finally broken her down. What a selfish ass.

Cuddy had tried, so many times, in so many ways to get him to do just do his job. And he turned it into a game. He saw it as a challenge, finding as many ways as possible to avoid his responsibilities. She once said she liked it that he challenged her. That was a long time ago.

Never once had he stopped to think what it was doing to her. He thought she liked the games. She seemed to enjoy them. She played along most of the time, and he always knew, she always let him know, when he'd gone too far.

Why hadn't she told him he'd gone too far this time? Was he so good in bed that she was willing to risk her career for a poke from Little Greg? He doubted he was that good, though he'd never admit that out loud.

A small voice in the back of his head whispered something he could barely make out, and quickly dismissed. 'Maybe she didn't tell you to back off because she really loves you'. House groaned. It was the truth. For some strange reason, she did love him.

He didn't hear Wilson wish him a goodnight, or pack up his things and leave. He didn't notice when Wilson switched off the light and slammed the door. House sat in the dark, quiet room and thought about what he would do next. It was shortly after the janitor came in and switched on the light that House realized what he needed to do.

His father was right. He was only a burden to anyone who loved him.


	15. A Case is Afoot

**A Case is Afoot**

House stood in the doorway and watched the hustle and bustle of the emergency room. It didn't take long to find Cameron. She was having a heart to heart with a young girl who was crying on a gureny. House limped over to them, the end of his cane thudding hard against the floor. He'd taken the rubber off to make a greater impact.

"Dr. House?" Cameron looked at him with a mixture of surprise and concern. It wasn't like him to seek her out. It actually wasn't like him to go anywhere where this many sick people were collected in one place.

"Dr. Cameron." House looked her in the eye. Very few people really looked others in the eye anymore. It was unnerving.

"I'm with a patient." Cameron looked at the young girl. She couldn't have been much past eight. Her eyes were red from tears as she stared blankly at the stranger who had disrupted her crying.

"I see that." House looked at the girl until she looked away. "Do you have any you could spare?" He then looked around the room. It was full of sick people. Surely one of them would suit his purpose.

"Spare what?" Cameron shook her head in confusion.

"Patient. You have 'em and I need 'em, well, one. A good one. Someone with something interesting, and not too annoying." He looked at the girl again. "And no criers. I hate criers." His words cut into the girl and she started to cry again.

"HOUSE!" Cameron tried to glare at him, but she just didn't have it in her. There was still some sick, twisted little soft spot in her heart for him, way at the back, behind the affection she'd saved for her first stuffed animal, and that old house at the end of the road she used to live at as a small girl. She pulled him away from her patient. "You can't just come in here and demand a patient. Why don't you go to the clinic if you're so desperate to help someone?"

"Because most clinic patients are boring. Emergency room patients, however, well, I'm hoping they're a lot more interesting."

"Well, they're not," she snotted huffily.

House put on his outside voice. "Why Dr. Cameron, you find your patients boring? Perhaps you are in the wrong line of work."

"Shhh," she pulled him further into a corner, trying to keep him away from listening ears. "What are you really after House?"

"Oh, you caught me." House mocked. "What I'm really after," he leaned in conspiratorially, "is a sick person who needs to be cured. I think you call them patients?"

Cameron pouted. He was up to something, she just knew it, and it was frustrating the hell out of her that she didn't know what. "Why?"

"Oh, I don't know. Thought I'd give this doctoring thing a try. I found this piece of paper the other day that said I can."

Cameron gave him a knowing look, even though she had no idea what he was up to. She naively hoped she could outwit him. "I don't have any patients that would interest you."

"Fine, I'll go ask Chase." He called her bluff. He actually knew, from a certain little bird called Hadley that Cameron was asking for help on one of her patients, behind his back.

"No, wait." She grabbed his arm, and for a moment she felt a tingle shoot through her, up her arm and down to her heart, but she tried to ignore it. "Maybe I can find someone..."

"How about the kid." House nodded toward the weepy girl. He wasn't thrilled about it, but given Hadley's description, it had to be her.

"I thought you didn't want a crier?" Cameron was trying to play hard to get.

"Good point." House started looking around the room. "Hmmm, how about someone who has been throwing up everything that's put in her...or his," he smiled knowingly and watched her grimace. She had caught on. "system. Someone who is throwing up their IV. That sounds cool. Don't you think?"

"Who told you?" Cameron pouted.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. I want to know who I should stop talking to."

"How many people did you tell?"

"It was Chase, wasn't it?" Cameron decided she would hold out on him tonight, as punishment.

"Once a rat, always a rat."

"It was." She should have known not to trust him.

House watched her. It fascinated him that she immediately jumped to her lover. He'd thought she and Chase were getting on quite well, maybe even getting serious, yet she still thought of the poor little Wombat as Chase the Snitch. In the back of her mind, as they made out in whatever dark corner they could find, she was thinking of him as untrustworthy. Why couldn't he find a patient that interesting?

"So?" House decided not to set her straight. There was no point really. Even if he defended Chase this time, she would still think of him first whenever she was betrayed.

"We've tried everything. But if we can't keep vitamins and nutrients in her system, the girl is going to die." 

"The girl has a name, doesn't she?" House poked fun at the drastic change he'd seen in Dr. Allison Cameron since she first walked into his office five years ago.

"Britney Summers. She's eleven, and came in after getting hit with a soccer ball in gym class and passing out. She was perfectly healthy before the incident, but hasn't been able to hold anything down since. She also can't sleep, and has stopped urinating."

"Well of course she's stopped urinating. She doesn't have anything in her." House hobbled back over to Britney. "She'll do just fine."

"I'll...I'm going to live?" Britney had been crying over the news of her impending doom, but now this strange man had come to rescue her.

"Who told you that?" House blinked at her.

"I...you...I thought..."

"You are going to die." The girl broke out in a new wave of tears.

"House?" Cameron blinked up at him in disbelief.

"We're all going to die. It's a fact of life. Nothing is eternal. Someday the sun will implode, and will swallow the Earth and any inhabitants still remaining, or gravity will decide that it needs a vacation and all our mortal bodies will go floating off into space, or the Earth will stop spinning on it's axis and we will be shot out into space which would be totally rad. So, yes, she is going to die."

Britney looked oddly over at House. She wasn't sure if she should cry or not anymore, so she stopped and just stared. It had worked.

House had Cameron make arrangements for his new patient to be admitted under his name. Then he went back to this office to research brake tampering. It was always good to have a back up plan.


	16. Tearing Down the Wall

**Critical Blues**, I did indeed make Ellen up. Well, not exactly, as I'm sure the name itself has been around for ages, but I chose it for Cuddy because TIIC are too lazy to give her one. There were others I liked, but they seemed too flowery/girly. But Ellen seemed to suit her, and it's my bosses name, and I like to throw stuff like that in there, so there you have it, Lisa Ellen Cuddy (soon to be House perhaps?)

**ladyfr** disbarment means getting her medical license taken away. Dr. Brady wants Cuddy to loose her license because it is unethical to be sleeping with and favoring one of her employees. This chapter will touch upon that a little more, so read on.

**glicine**, Chap. 15, in which House seeks a new patient, will make more sense soon. Looking at it, I do see that it kind of came out of left field, but hopefully this chapter will help explain House's reasoning behind it. If not, let me know.

Now **HOUSEM.D.FanForever**, who doesn't love a cocky realist? So much better than a cocky fakest, or a real cock...No, scratch that last one, a real cock would be quite nice. :)

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Tearing Down the Wall 

House stood in the doorway to Cuddy's office. She was so lost in her work she hadn't noticed him, so he stood and watched her for a while. He didn't deserve her, not really. He'd had his chance years ago and he'd blown it. He didn't want to blow it again this time.

"What?" Cuddy looked up at him with mild irritation. She was almost done with her spreadsheet and he'd just gone and pulled her out of the zone.

"I have a patient." House strolled in nervously.

"I'll alert the press." She tried getting back to work.

House frowned. "I just thought you might need to know, for your budget calculations. That's thirty cases this year. That ups my average." He wanted so badly to prove he wasn't a liability to her, or the hospital. Wilson was right. It was time for him to step up.

Cuddy smiled patiently. House was adorable when he was insecure. "I'll make a note."

"I volunteered to help Dr. Cameron. Make a note of that too." House had snuck in and read his file a couple years ago. Among his so called faults were the inability to help others, and the lack of ambition in seeking out new patients. Now he'd done both.

"Of course." Cuddy stopped what she was doing. There was no way she could concentrate on work with House being so...unHouselike. "What are you up to House?"

"Why is everybody asking me that lately?"

"Because you only do good deeds when you're up to something."

"Oh, you think you know me so well." House teased.

"I do know you so well House. So why did you suddenly take on a new patient?"

"What do you mean why? I'm a doctor. I help people."

"You're a doctor because you like to solve puzzles. Helping people is a fortunate side affect."

"I've changed." House looked at her with as much sincerity as he could muster. "You have changed me."

"Oh, give me a break." She pushed back in her chair.

House started looking wispy and nostalgic. It wasn't an easy thing for him to do, but he gave it his best try. "I'd always heard that the love of a good woman could change a man, make him better than he is, but I always thought that was just something guys made up to get laid. But now I know." He put his hands across the desk and forcibly pulled hers into them. She had put up more of a struggle than he expected. "You, Lisa Cuddy, have made me a better man. Because of you, I want to save lives, make the world a better place. I want to..."

"If you keep this up, you are NOT getting laid," she threatened emptily.

"Oh sure, so you only like me when I'm a jerk."

"I only recognize you when you're a jerk," she corrected.

"Your words wound me." House fell back.

"You're scaring me now." She did look a little frightened. House felt he had camouflaged his insecurity under a thick enough veil of sarcasm, so he backed off a bit.

She stood up, so she could glare down at him. "What is going on?" Both her hands pushed down against the desk. It was her mad administrator pose, and hot as hell.

"I just thought you, being hospital administrator, would like to know that I am hard at work."

"You're not hard at work, House, you're bothering me while I'm trying to get the budget finished."

"Then I'll go." His work here was done. The first step to proving he was not a liability had been taken.

"Wait." Cuddy walked around the desk and stood before him. Her hand rested gently on his arm. He hadn't hidden his insecurity as well as he'd thought. Though she had no idea what had brought it on, she knew he was trying to impress her. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek gently. "I love you House," she whispered in his ear as she pulled away.

Damn! Why did she have to go and do that. "I love you too Cuddy..." The next words got stuck in his throat as he struggled to keep them from coming out.

"What is it?" She could see the struggled in his eyes. She did not let go of his arm as she gazed into his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me Brady was giving you a hard time?" He'd lost the battle. The words had gotten out.

"Did Wilson tell you that?" For a split second, fire blazed across her face. Wilson was in deep shit.

"Of course."

"Brady is my problem, not yours."

"Stacy always said that couples are supposed to share their problems." And he'd wanted to smack her every time she said it.

"That's just because Stacy thrived on conflict."

"Like you don't?" House looked at her doubtfully.

"It's not the same thing." Cuddy was self aware enough to realize that part of the reason she was attracted to House was the conflict. But there was much more to her attraction than that.

"It never is," House teased. Women were all the same.

"Wait." It finally clicked. "Did you take this patient because you're trying to prove you're an asset to the hospital?" That was kind of adorable.

"I took the patient because the case is interesting." House was getting defensive. "A perfectly healthy young girl become anorexic after a blow to the head. That's interesting."

"That's brain trauma."

"You stick to your paperwork, and I'll stick to being a doctor."

That one stung. "I'm glad you have a patient House. I'm glad you took the initiative to actually get a patient instead of sitting around playing video games until someone forces a patient on you, but I don't want you to make this girl sicker than she is, just to prove you have value to this hospital."

"I'm not going to make her sicker."

"Then you have no case. This girl needs a neurologist, not a diagnostician..."

"Oh My God! It's a miracle! I have a neurologist on my team. Now that's what I call divine intervention."

"Stop it House. Just stop it. You did not take the case because of Foreman. You did not take the case because it's interesting. You took the case so you wouldn't get fired. Well, guess what? They can't fire you House. As long as I am the head of this hospital you are not going anywhere." She was in his face, her eyes blazed brilliant blue.

"And how long is that going to be?" House shot back.

"What?"

"You accuse me of being closed off, of never letting anyone help me, of trying to fight all my demons alone. What the hell do you think you're doing? You are not infallible Cuddy. The sharks are circling. Do you have such little faith in me that you can't even let me know you're in trouble?"

She blinked at him. "This isn't your fight." She was shutting down. Damn her.

House grabbed her arm. "If you lose your position in this hospital, I will lose my job. You will find another job, but this is my last chance. I'm not Wilson. I'm not trying to be some knight in shining armor. I'm just watching out for myself, like I always do. So stop making this about you. It's not." He hoped she was buying it.

"What happened me making you a better man?" Cuddy threw that crap back in his face.

"It was a phase." House snapped, still trying to play the bad guy.

"Not a long one." Cuddy had taken the last few moments to wrap her head around what he was saying, and she didn't believe a word of it.

"I have a short attention span." House was losing his edge. The longer she looked up at him, her eyes digging for the truth, the harder it was to keep it from her.

"Just forget what Wilson told you. He was exaggerating. No one is losing their license. No one is getting fired."

"He only exaggerates about his penis size." House narrowed his eyes, thinking about her last words.

"How would you know? Have you measured it?" She knew he had caught him. Her only chance was to distract him with innuendo.

"Have you?" It seemed to be working.

"Not recently." She smiled nervously. Could she really have gotten away with such a slip?

"And how did you know Wilson said disbarment?" He had waited for her to relax a little before hitting her with that one.

His trick worked. He could see the panic in her eyes. "I..."

"The only way you could know is if it was the truth. Brady is fighting to get your license taken away."

"He's just blowing hot air House. He can't get me disbarred." Cuddy had been trying to blow those threats off for weeks.

House's face showed momentary concern, but he quickly threw the wall back up. "He can if he can prove to anyone that our relationship has clouded your judgment about me and my employment here at the hospital. Can you honestly say that your personal feelings for me had nothing to do with your hiring me, and keeping me here all these years despite the board's yearly attempts to get rid of me?"

"Not the entire board, House."

"Right, everyone except you, my girlfriend, and Wilson, my best friend. That's not at all biased."

Cuddy wanted to say something, but what could she say? He was right. If Brady could get enough board members rallied behind him, he could finally take her down.

She'd had to fight this fight ever since she got the promotion ten years ago. A board full of fat old men laughed at the notion that a young girl could run the hospital. They screamed nepotism as her mentor and some said lover, Dr. Fuchs chose her as his successor.

Cuddy was used to fighting to prove herself competent and it had taken her years to gain the respect and trust of her board, but she had done it, for the most part. Wilson was not the only board member who would stay loyal to her in a battle, but there were some whose allegiance could be swayed.

House could see her crack before it happened, and caught her in his arms as she fell against him in tears. The past few months had been so incredibly hard for her. She'd tried so hard to shield it from him. It wasn't because she didn't trust him. It wasn't because she thought he couldn't help, though she was dubious about the means to which he might try to help. It was because she loved him.

She had struggled so hard to fight her feelings for House because this was exactly what she knew would happen. Everything she'd worked for, everything she'd built up was falling down around her. And all for a man that many said wasn't worth it.

"Shhh," House held her close to him. He stroked her hair gently. "That bastard isn't going to beat us." His words poured into her ear and wormed her soul. She had always known he would stick around as long as things were easy. But she had been unwilling to test their bond. Maybe she really was afraid that he would walk out if things got tough. But those few words, well, one small, seemingly insignificant little two letter word in particular let her know that this man was most definitely worth it.


	17. On the Fourth Day of Hanukkah

**glicine**, you want a new gift, you got it.

**HOUSEM.D.FanForever** yeah, it would be a little weird to ask for Chase to fondle House's tape again. And yes, it does make you a sick and twisted person. So, welcome to the club. You're membership card and super secret handshake instruction booklet are in the mail, as is your commemorative role of fondling tape. Can't wait to see you at the top secret club meetings. :)

**insanehouseaddict**, I too thought for a while there that House was going to leave her. And I am also very glad he didn't. You'd think, being the author and all, that I'd have some control over these two, but let's face it, Huddy is a force of nature, and I'm just here to track their weather patterns. That was a crappy analogy. :(

Oh well. In the immortal words of Tim Gunn...Carry on.

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**On the Fourth Day of Hanukkah, My True Love Gave to Me...**

It was Saturday morning. The sun was just starting to peek through the curtains. House pulled himself out from under Cuddy and crept out of bed. She squirmed a moment, then fell back into a deep slumber. House reached out his hand, then decided against it. She really needed the sleep.

He walked over to his bag and pulled out the two blue packages. It was easy to tell which was to go first, both by the very different shapes and the fact that one had a sticky note with a big number 4 and the other was numbered 5.

House tossed 5 back in the bag and held 4 in his hands. He looked down at Cuddy, sleeping soundly. He wanted to marry her, he really did. Then why was he so relieved to have a reason to get out of it?

She turned and blinked open her bright blue eyes. She smiled when she saw him. "Is that my present?" Her face lit up.

"No." House quickly threw his hands behind his back.

"Yes it is," she said teasingly. "Give it to me." She propped herself up on an elbow and held out the other hand. She was perfectly comfortable being naked in front of him as the sheets slipped down to her waist, revealing her perfect, firm breasts.

House had a hard time resisting those breasts. He always had. If those breasts told him to blow up the world he probably would have done so. Luckily, Cuddy and her breasts had no such desire for world destruction.

"It's not for you." He teased. She looked so beautiful. Her hair was tussled from last night's round of sex and there was still a soft glow in her cheeks. Her lips were heavy with sleep and had a seductive, dreamy quality to them that was really making it hard to think.

Cuddy narrowed her eyes playfully. "Who is it for then?"

"My other girlfriend."

Cuddy laughed easily. House watched lustily as her breasts danced in the soft dawn light. "Who, besides me, would be stupid enough to date you?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised." House sat on the edge of the bed. He felt the compelling urge to be near her.

"You're right. I would." She reached around him and easily removed the small blue package from his hands. He was powerless to resist her. Especially since the sheet had slipped a little more and over half her hip was now showing. And if he squinted, he thought he could just make out her...

"A reflex hammer!" she exclaimed with far more excitement than a reflex hammer deserved.

"Right." House looked at her suspiciously.

"It's just what I've always wanted." Cuddy gushed. For a moment she thought he wasn't going to give it to her, that he'd changed his mind after yesterday's argument, but he hadn't, and she was one day closer to becoming Mrs. Gregory House. She was beaming happily as she held it in her hands.

"It is?" House was getting more suspicious.

"It is." Cuddy grinned slyly, then raised the small hammer and bopped House on the head with it. "It is EXACTLY what I've always wanted."

House grabbed her arms and tried to pry the small hammer out of her hand. "Oh really?"

"Really." Cuddy struggled to keep hold of her new toy, but it was getting harder and harder as House began to get harder and harder against her leg.

He pulled her down onto the soft pillows and finally pulled the mallet out of her hand. For only a split second he thought about knocking her on the head with it, just as a bit of payback, but then he thought of what else he wanted to do to her, and thought it might be more fun if he didn't render her unconscious, or piss her off by hitting her in the head. So he tossed it onto the floor and kissed her instead.

Cuddy melted quickly beneath him. Her arms threw around his neck, bringing him in closer for a deeper, more passionate kiss. She wanted to say 'yes' right then and there, but thought she should wait until he actually finished proposing. The next few days were going to be torture.

The light peeking in through the curtains reflected brightly against their pale skin as their bodies quickly became one, entwined together as they so often had. No matter how often the slept together, House always explored every inch of her, looking for anything he might have missed. He knew every curve of her body, every birthmark, every pore. He could tell instantly if she'd lost of put on weight. He was surprisingly tactful enough not to mention if she'd put any on.

Cuddy, for her part, didn't study House's body as fastidiously. Instead she simply enjoyed the feeling of his weight pressed down against her, his breath on her flesh, and the strength of his muscles as they contracted against her.

One muscle in particular held her interest and it was that muscle which she now took in her hand, slowly stroking it in a way only she managed to do. House didn't know if she'd gone to some special school to learn to do it, or if she was just naturally talented, but he began moaning almost instantly as her fingers slid up under his cock and teased his nuts.

"So, House, tell me about this other girlfriend of yours?" Cuddy said teasingly. She knew he was incapable of coherent thought when she did this to him. Oh the things she could use this power for..."Can she make you do this?" Cuddy applied pressure in just the right spot and House's leg shook uncontrollably.

"Stop...stop..." and then when she did. "More...more..."

Cuddy laughed as she slid her finger down his shaft. She was done teasing him. It was time for him to get to work. "I love my hammer," she cooed as she pulled him onto his back.

"No, you love to get hammered. There's a difference." House watched her taut body as it climbed on top of him.

"Either way, it was the perfect gift." She leaned down and kissed his chest. He thought she was going to kiss him, properly, but at the last minute she headed south. His lips ached with disappointment, but his nipples perked up with joy as her tongue flicked over each of them in turn.

"I aim to please," House said, proud but slightly confused.

"We'll see about that." Cuddy slowly slid down on top of him. Her soft warmth surrounded his hard steel in a moist blanket of pleasure.

She slowly rocked back and forth, her body putting on a show for him as her eyes burned into his. She loved to watch him watch her. The desire in his eyes, the hunger turned her on. He wanted her, and she could bring him to a point where there was nothing he wouldn't do for her.

For just a moment she thought about using that power for evil. If she really wanted, she could make him propose to her, then and there. She'd done it once, but that hadn't turned out very well. It was best to let him do it in his own way, in his own time. But she was going to kill him if this was some sort of trick or joke.

House felt her riding him a bit harder. At first it startled him, but he found he quite liked it. His hands slid up her legs and landed on her hips. He felt her undulating, he felt the movement of each muscle as she lifted her self up just enough, then forward, then down, then back around and all over again, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, always with the determination to drive him a little further inside her.

He was studying her face, which was quite unusual for him, during sex. She had a beautiful face, but when she was this naked, it was just not usually where his eye fell. It was the first time he'd really noticed her watching him.

Their eyes locked into each other. They were fucking as much with their eyes as with the rest of their bodies. And House suddenly felt himself thinking about mushy things like souls connecting. He shook that off as soon as possible. "Have you figured out the puzzle yet?"

"Puzzle?" She'd been a bit preoccupied with the mounting tension between her legs to give much thought to puzzles.

"Your presents?" House wanted to shut himself up. He willed himself to shut up. He threatened to stop what he was doing, like that was ever going to happen, if he didn't shut up.

"Oh, that." Her huge smile gave away the truth.

House was finding it very difficult to think and breath at the same time. "And?" For the love of god, SHUT UP HOUSE!!!!!!! He would have kicked himself if he could figure out how.

"And?" She stopped what she was doing for a moment. He almost died.

"Don't stop!" He began pushing and pulling her hips until she went back to work.

"I can't wait for Wednesday." She changed motion, now slowly gyrating him into a frenzy.

"Wednesday?" The fireworks going off in his head were distracting him from thinking of what was supposed to happen on Wednesday.

The conversation was over. She was cumming. She threw her head back and he could feel her legs tighten against his. He felt her contracting around him, a gentle pulsating massage that finally set him off.

They cried out in unison, their hands pressed tightly together, locked in a death grip. Her hair whipped around as she threw her head forward again, bringing her mouth down onto his. They kissed as though it were life sustaining. A desperate, hungry kiss that went on a bit as she lowered herself down beside him.

He didn't want the kiss to end, so he slid onto his side, wrapping her in his arms tightly. And to think, a few minutes ago he was thinking about not giving her that present. What a fool.


	18. Her Two Favorite People

Oh man, **HOUSEM.D.FanForever**, I really wasn't going for a dog feeling there. It was supposed to be a bit more sexy than that. What she was doing was supposed to be sending him into near orgasmic pleasure (that's why he was shaking). Guess I didn't describe it as well as I could have. note to self, start video taping research, for description purposes only.

grabs nearest hot doctor Give **Metaphoric.Love** some mouth to mouth, STAT!

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**Her Two Favorite People**

After sex, House fell back to sleep. He'd been awake half the night, worried about Cuddy, about their jobs, about their relationship. He felt better now, well, at least about their relationship, and that was enough to let him sleep. Cuddy, on the other hand, felt rejuvenated. She snuck off to the kitchen to fix some breakfast. Sex with House always made her hungry.

She looked at her bare cupboards and near empty fridge. Unless she planned on having beer and left over Thai, there wasn't much to eat. She'd been so focused on the impending Board meeting that she'd let her household choirs slip. It's not like she really expected House to do anything around the house, still, it would have been nice.

She sighed and poured herself what remained of the orange juice. After finished the half glass of juice, she tossed the carton in the trash and headed for the study.

She had promised him she wouldn't do work this weekend, but, he was asleep, and she'd feel a whole lot better if she checked her emails.

House rolled over and stretched out his arm. She was gone. He opened his eyes and was about to curse when he looked at the clock. "Oh," he said meekly as the clock informed him it was past noon. Really not fair to get mad at her for leaving him when she'd just get mad back at him for sleeping so late.

He pulled himself out of bed and headed toward the kitchen. "What's for breakfast?" He asked cheerily. The kitchen was empty. He rattled around in the cupboards unsuccessfully.

"Looking for something?" She stood in the doorway, looking stunning in a pair of jeans and tee shirt, her hair pulled back in a pony tail. Of course, to his eyes she looked stunning in anything.

"Breakfast. Did you eat it all?" House leaned against the counter to drink her in. He never tired of looking at her.

"No, you did, about a week ago." She came in and put her arms around his waist. She kissed him. "We're out of food."

"Oh." House seemed perplexed.

"We, well, I have to go to the store to get more."

"Is that how that works?" House grinned.

"Yes, House, that's how that works." She pulled out of his arms.

"We could just go out to eat."

"For the rest of our lives?"

"Sure. Or to Wilson's."

Cuddy laughed. Wilson was House's answer to everything. She had a sneaking suspicion that if it weren't for Wilson, House would have died a long time ago, from starvation if nothing else. "I'm sure Wilson would love it if we turned up on his doorstep."

"He's never complained."

"He never complains to you about anything House. You're like Crack to him."

House thought about it for a moment, then smiled. "Addictive and expensive."

Cuddy smiled back, glad that he'd gotten her meaning. "And hazardous to his health."

"What can I say, I'm dangerous." House grabbed her waist and pulled her into a hug. She giggled as he nuzzled her neck with his nose.

"I'm sure you are dear," she patronized him. She knew it would drive him wild.

House grabbed her and lifted her off his feet. He was going to show her just how dangerous he was. He dropped her on the counter abruptly. His damn leg throbbed slightly, but he ignored that and started pulling off her shirt.

"House!" Her ass stung a bit from falling onto the hard counter.

"Shhh, I'm being dangerous." House tossed her shirt into the nearby sink.

The doorbell rang.

"Shit." Cuddy looked at her shirt, now wet from the recently used sink.

"Who the hell is that?" House snarled, his hands poised on the clasp of her bra.

"It'll be Lo. I told her to drop by if she needed to." Cuddy now wished she hadn't.

"Why the hell would she need to drop by?" House pulled away, leaving the bra in place, much to his disappointment.

The doorbell rang again.

"Because she went on a date last night."

"With Wilson?"

"Give me your shirt." Cuddy let her own damp shirt fall back into the sink.

"Why?"

Cuddy groaned and pushed past him. She hurried toward the bedroom. "Will you at least let her in?" She called out.

"No." House went and sat on the couch.

The door made a rattling sound. "I'm coming in." The handle turned and the door swung open. Lo walked in, stopping when she saw House. "Hey G."

"Lo," House said with a hint of distain.

"I was hoping to catch you two in the act."

"If you'd waited two minutes, you would have." House grimaced.

"Oops." Lo looked slightly guilty. As much as she enjoyed making House's life miserable, she knew her best friend enjoyed him, and she did feel a tad guilty about taking away Cuddy's afternoon delight.

"Indeed." House crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. A part of him was hoping she would turn around and leave. It was the stupid part of him.

She dropped down on the couch next to him. "Where's Lisa?"

"Getting dressed."

Lo grinned. "You stud."

"Not the word I would have chosen." Cuddy came gliding into the room. She looked even more beautiful than before, with a light pink glow in her cheeks, and a blue shirt that matched the color of her eyes.

"Lisa." Lo got up and gave her friend a hug. If House didn't hate her so much he might have found it a bit hot.

"So?" Cuddy prodded. "How was your date last night?"

House groaned.

"It started out badly, I slept through most of the middle, but the ending was good."

"How did it end?"

"With her legs in the air no doubt," House drolled.

Lo shot him an angry glare. "Why are you still here?"

"I live here."

"That's what I meant."

"House, why don't you go get dressed. Then we can go to lunch." Cuddy wanted to diffuse the situation before it became a situation.

"With her?" House asked snottily.

"I wouldn't do that her." Cuddy shot back with a twinkle in her eye.

"When you want me, I'll be in bed." House hobbled off to the bedroom.

"So, this guy, who was he?"

"Some guy I met at the hospital."

"My hospital?" Cuddy was intrigued now.

"Yours does have the best looking doctors." Lo winked.

"So he's a doctor?" This had potential.

"Of course. I do have standards you know." Lo laughed. They were low standards, but they did exist.

"Does he have a name?" Cuddy was dying to know who it was.

"Some guy named Eli. He seemed nice enough, if not a bit overeager. And he talked about his wife. Big no-no."

"But you slept with him anyway?" Cuddy worried about her friend.

"God, you're getting as bad as he is. No, I didn't sleep with him."

"But you said it ended well." Cuddy smirked slightly.

"It ended quickly, which was good, because then I went to visit Jimmy."

"Oh, Lo, you didn't." Cuddy dropped her head in her hand for a moment. When she looked up she saw House standing in the door way. Every muscle in her body tensed up. She gulped nervously as Lo went on.

"He's sweet. I can't imagine why he's friends with G."

"You know he hates it when you call him that." Cuddy looked over Lo's shoulder. House was leaning in the doorway, his arms crossed, his eyes warning her not to say a word.

"I know. Why do you think I do it?" Lo grinned. For a moment Cuddy had to wonder if she knew House was listening.

"Can't you just try to get along with him? He's…" she sighed as Lo cut her off.

"An idiot." Lo spoke those two words out loud, but mouthed the rest of the sentence silently. 'Who's standing right behind me.' She smiled wide.

Cuddy bit her lips to stop from laughing. "I'm so glad you're back."

"I only wish I'd gotten here sooner."

"Why?" House finally spoke. "So you could try to break us up?"

Lo craned her neck to look up at him. "A girl can dream, can't she?"

"It doesn't matter how much you dream Lo, you're never going to see me naked." House walked over and sat on the arm of Cuddy's chair.

"So I can stop writing to Santa about it?" Lo rolled her eyes exaggeratedly at Cuddy, knowing full well House could see her.

"He doesn't answer letter from bitches."

"House," Cuddy cried out a warning.

Lo just laughed. "It's fine Lisa. I think equally highly of him. So, where should we go for lunch?"

"I don't think…"

House cut Cuddy off. "Let's go to Triumph."

Cuddy groaned. This was going to be a long day.


	19. Triumph

**Triumph**

House insisted that Cuddy go with Lo. There was no way he was going in a car with the two of them, so he insisted he'd meet them there.

"You're not driving your bike in this weather House," Cuddy informed him maternally.

"Of course not." House was glad she was thinking that was what he was up to. He kissed her gently on the cheek and sent the two women on their way.

He grabbed the keys to his beat up old Mercury, an eye sore that Cuddy was constantly trying to get him to trade in, then grabbed his mobile. Within minutes he was in front of Wilson's apartment building. As instructed, Wilson was waiting for him at the front door.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Wilson asked nervously as he got in.

"Why wouldn't it be?" House had asked Wilson to join them for lunch.

"Well..." Wilson said nervously looking out the window.

"Did something happen last night?" House pulled out onto the road.

"No. What do you mean? I was at home. Did she say something? What did she say?" Wilson went from denial to frightened curiosity without taking a breath.

House laughed as he cut someone off at the light. He wasn't laughing about that but about Wilson. Wilson was quite aware of that fact. "Why are you laughing? What did she say?"

"Only that she went to you for a booty call after her date."

"She was on a date?" This was news to Wilson, and the shocked look on the man's face made House very happy indeed. The last thing he wanted was for Wilson to hook up with Lo the Ho. Wilson was far too fragile for that.

"Yep."

"And she ditched him for me?" Wilson blushed slightly and House felt his stomach turn.

"No Wilson. She didn't ditch him for you, she went out with him. She just went to you for a snack afterwards."

"I was a snack?" Wilson was getting giddy, and House was quickly losing his appetite.

"This is NOT a good thing, Wilson."

"Not for you." Wilson chucked. He loved his new status as boy toy. It was totally foreign to him, and quite exciting.

"Not for anyone concerned. She's using you. Can't you see that?"

"What do you care?" House never gave a crap about Wilson's love live, unless he was poking fun at it.

"You're my friend. I care."

"Now say it like you mean it." Wilson didn't buy House's empty words. This wasn't about him. It was about House, and his resentment toward the only other person Cuddy cared about as much as she did House. It was about House being jealous of Lo.

"We're here." House pulled quickly into the parking lot. He saw Lo's Jaguar parked sloppily in a space toward the back, apart from all the other cars. He snickered as he pulled his old heap right up close beside it.

He got out, making an extra effort to shove his car door into the side of her Jag. His heart stopped a bit as he heard metal on metal. It really was a nice car.

"House, what are you doing?" Wilson came around and looked at the damage. It was minimal, but it was enough. A line of silver now cut through the beautiful midnight blue surface of her passenger door.

"Ooops," House said without feeling. "Better get inside."

"You'd better pay for that, is what you'd better do." Wilson was already starting to defend Lo. This was not a good sign.

"You care so much, you pay for it." House hurried off toward the restaurant.

Cuddy and Lo were waiting for them at a table near the bar. Cuddy was already working on what looked like a whiskey sour. Lo was talking to her animatedly. Cuddy watched as the two men approached and her heart sunk.

"Wilson." She tried to sound like she was happy to see him, but knowing House, this wasn't going to be an easy lunch.

"Hi Cuddy, Lo." Wilson blushed and almost giggled. House almost hurled on Wilson's newly polished Italian leather loafers.

"Hey Jimmy." Lo seemed happy enough to see him. Cuddy watched them both carefully. House had taught her years ago that you could learn a great deal from body language alone.

House's own body language was telling her that he was excited. No good could come from that. "You ordered me a drink." House looked at the table. A neat Scotch was sitting in a highball glass, waiting for him. "Isn't she the best?" He asked the table in general, dropping into his chair and taking a slow sip.

"I've always thought so," Lo answered calmly. "So, did you grill Jimmy about last night?"

Cuddy nearly spit out the sip she'd just taken. She knew Lo was blunt, but a little pre-war small talk would have been nice.

"He hasn't said much. Apparently sex with you disables a man's ability to speak coherently."

"House," Wilson protested with mild embarrassment.

"It's probably all the screaming." Lo answered quickly. It amused her to no end that Wilson was turning bright red.

"I can talk," he informed House. "I didn't scream that much," he informed Lo. Then he looked at Cuddy for help. She pulled up her menu and studied the appetizers.

"Cuddy can teach you how to scream without losing your voice. She's an old pro."

Cuddy heard her name, and felt his knee brush up against her leg and cringed as she heard him speak. "Stop it House."

"You should have heard her last night...OUCH!" House felt the hard round end of his cane press down fast and hard against the top of his foot.

"Why don't you and Lo just go have sex already? Then you can see which one of you causes the most screaming."

Lo laughed. "I think he'd win that one. I can't imagine what kind of horror is lurking inside his shorts." She made a scared face.

"You're imagination isn't THAT big." House snapped back. He would never ever admit this, but he did kind of miss having Lo around. He could say far worse things to her than he could to Cuddy, without worrying about getting laid.

"Either is your dick," Lo said offhandedly.

House's head snapped toward Cuddy.

"I didn't tell her about that." Cuddy looked as guilty as she could without actually being guilty.

"Don't look at me!" Wilson withered under House's crystal gaze.

Everyone started laughing as the waiter came over. After a quick round of "I'll have the..." the waiter scurried off.

"So, Cuddy, I hear House has been giving you Hanukkah gifts." Wilson looked nervously over at House. Wilson had been dying to know what was going on ever since he'd wrapped the presents for House a few days ago.

"Yes." Cuddy's radiant smile flashed across her face.

"Oooh, what'dja get today?" Lo had almost forgotten. She tried to remember what letter they should be up to.

"A reflex hammer," Cuddy said as though it were a pair of nice earrings, or some other wonderful, normal gift.

Lo smiled knowingly. That was the second R. "How romantic."

House looked at her, narrowing his eyes. "You know."

"Of course I know, G. I know everything." Lo wondered if there was anything else worth knowing. She hoped House would slip up and reveal something juicy, but he was too smart for that.

"Well, aren't you so very well informed." House shot a pissy look at Cuddy, but she just wrinkled her nose at him.

"Informed about what?" Wilson's head swung around the table.

"I was there when she finally figured it out."

Cuddy narrowed her eyes at her friend. What did she mean, FINALLY? It had only been three days.

"Figured what out?" Wilson hated being the only one who didn't seem to know what was going on.

"What were you going to do if she didn't figure it out in time?" Lo's curiosity about this was driving her mad. Would he have not proposed if Cuddy didn't solve his little puzzle in time? Was it some warped kind of test?

"I knew she would." House put his hand on Cuddy's knee and squeezed it. He might pick on his beloved's mental capacity now and then, as well as her fashion sense, her doctoring skills and her brown nosing business ways, but no one else was allowed to. It was their thing.

"Knew she would WHAT?" Wilson was about to explode if he didn't find out what they were talking about.

"House has been pro...OUCH!" It was Lo's turn to feel something hard under the table, but this time it was the toe of a very hard boot, and it was making contact with her shin instead of her foot. Cuddy shot her a warning glance that would have frozen boiling water while it was still on a high heat.

"If somebody doesn't tell me what's going on..." Wilson didn't know what he'd do. Probably nothing, and they all seemed to know it, because no one started spilling any secrets.

Lo did, however, lean in and whisper something in his ear. House and Cuddy watched them carefully, and were strangely relieved when Wilson turned beat red, then hurried off to the bathroom, making some excuse about having to freshen up.

"If the food comes, don't wait for us." Lo got up and strolled toward the restrooms. Wilson was already no where in sight. House assumed he'd gone ahead to make sure the men's room was empty and to secure them a stall.

"That is going to end badly," House informed his lover.

"I know," Cuddy sighed. Then she reached over and kissed him. She had to accept that Wilson and Lo were adults and could do whatever they wanted. She felt slightly envious of them, running off for a quickie in the bathroom. There was a time when she would have done it too, just because she could.

"How long do you think they'll be?"

"House!"

"Twenty dollars says they'll be out before the food arrives."

"Twenty dollars?" House obviously didn't have the same inside scoop as Cuddy. Lo never did anything that quickly. "You're on."

House balked. "Why did you agree so quickly?"

"Too late to change your mind now," she taunted. "But if you're short on cash, you could always do a week of clinic duty when you lose."

"IF I lose, I will do one day of extra clinic duty. But when I win, you will give me a lap dance, here, in the restaurant."

Cuddy burst out laughing. "You're serious?" She tried to stop laughing, but failed.

"Afraid you'll lose?"

"Not a chance." He wouldn't really make her do it. Not here, with everyone watching. Right?

"Hope you're wearing clean underwear." House felt confident. He'd had reason to time Wilson's performances in the past. When Wilson had a quickie, it was a real quick quickie. This was going to be easy. He grinned at Cuddy. Oh, she was going to be soooo humiliated.

"Excuse me a moment." Cuddy got up and walked toward the bar. After a brief discussion, she came back with two drinks. House didn't take his eyes off her. There was no way he was going to let her cheat. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't cheat.

While her back was turned, House pulled out his mobile and quickly hit the button for Wilson. "Come on, come on," he pleaded with the phone.

Wilson slammed his hands against the cold metal cubicle walls. Lo had him surrounded. Her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, her arms clawed at his back. They were moving furiously against each other when he felt something shaking against his leg.

"DAMN!" He opened his eyes. The florescent glare suddenly made him feel tawdry.

"Ignore it." Lo commanded, pushing him against the toilet and nearly knocking him down.

Wilson was not the kind of person who could ignore a ringing phone. "It could be an emergency."

"It's most likely your obnoxious best friend trying to ruin all your fun."

"But it could be an emergency." Wilson pleaded.

"Fine." Lo jumped off him with a sigh. The mood had been ruined anyway.

Wilson bent down and grabbed the phone the moment Lo let him go. "Hello? Hello?" He looked at the phone then turned it off. "He hung up."

Lo was looking down at her own phone, at the text message her friend had left her. She looked up at Wilson with a grin. She took the phone out of his hand and tossed it on the floor with hers. "We're not done here." She grabbed him and started working him back into performance shape.

"We should get back…" Wilson was finding it hard to talk, what with her tongue down his throat and her hand sliding him back into her.

Cuddy returned to the table carrying two glasses. She handed one to House. "They sure are taking their time." She smiled and House became suspicious.

House watched with bitter anger as the waiter came over and quickly put down their plates. House couldn't help but notice a significant look exchanged between the waiter and the woman sitting beside him. "What did you do?"

"Nothing you wouldn't do."

"Come on. You won. Tell me what you did?"

"It doesn't matter House. You lose." She really was a rather bad winner.

"You bitch!"

"One day of clinic duty, my choice."

"No. That wasn't part of the deal."

"I'm the boss House. I decide when you have to do clinic duty. One day of my choice." She smiled as she thought about it. "I can never find anyone to work on Christmas Eve. Oh, wait, problem solved."

House was about to say something snarky, just as soon as he thought of it, but their argument was interrupted by the arrival of Lo and Wilson.

"Was that long enough?" Lo whispered toward Cuddy.

"Perfect," Cuddy replied.

"You cheated! The bet is off." House pouted. He was a very bad loser.

"What bet?" Wilson was still as clueless as ever.

"Just because you lost doesn't mean the bet is off House. You are working in the clinic on Christmas Eve, and if you're not careful I'm going to make you wear the Santa suit."

"You wouldn't do that to the children. I would scar them for life."

"What bet!?" Wilson asked, a little louder.

Cuddy explained the bet, and that while House was trying to call Wilson, Cuddy had texted Lo, asking her to keep him in there at least five more minutes.

"Very clever," House snotted.

"Oh, that's not the clever part." Cuddy smiled proudly. "I also told the bartender that you had a medical condition and that you needed your food ASAP or they would have a seizure on their hands." She leaned back, basking in his awe.

"I'm impressed." He almost didn't mind doing the clinic duty now.

"I'll be impressed when I see you in a Santa suit," Lo chided.

"I'll wear it to your funeral," House replied hopefully.

"Are you two done yet?" Cuddy just wanted to eat her meal in piece.

House looked at Lo. She looked back. "For now" "I guess" they said at the same time. That settled, they ended up having a rather pleasant lunch.


	20. On the Fifth Day of Hanukkah

**Addicted1**, glad you liked Cuddy getting the upper hand. As much as I would have loved to make her do the lap dance, it was also nice to have her win for a change. Especially when House didn't see it coming.

**Carla Fox** Hope your brother is recovering quickly. Glad you're back, and hope things have settled down. Congrats on finishing your fic. 4 years? Wow. I'm impressed.

**Nikki, **long time no see. lol Thank you so much for your kind words. And please, leave those shears right where they are. :) I will try to update quickly.

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**On the Fifth Day of Hanukkah, My True Love Gave to Me...**

Cuddy rolled over and opened her eyes. House was holding something in his hands. He quickly shoved it down behind his back.

"What was that?" Cuddy leaned over, trying to look around him.

"Nothing." House grumbled grumpily.

"It's my present, isn't it?" Cuddy felt playful this morning, and leaned over him, trying to reach around his back.

"No." House snapped. He was clearly not feeling playful at all.

Cuddy cocked her head. "What is it then?"

"None of your business."

"It's my next present." She didn't believe him for a minute. She couldn't wait to see what he'd come up with for the letter Y. That one had her stumped.

She stretched across him, her breasts pressing against his chest. He was momentarily distracted, and the small box fell from his hands. "SHIT!" House scrambled to get it before she did. In his panic, he knocked it off the bed.

"I'll get it." Cuddy quickly dove over him and stretched her arms down.

House grabbed her waist and tried to pull her back. It wasn't easy. She was naked, and feeling her rub against him, also naked, was making it hard to concentrate on anything. Still, he managed to at least keep her from reaching any further.

"Let go of me!" Cuddy thrashed around on top of him.

"Oh, don't stop," House teased.

She squirmed a little more, failing to realize it was turning him on. "Let me go!"

"Not a chance."

"House." She stopped squirming; finally catching on that he liked it. "You're going to give it to me eventually anyway. So just let me have it."

A wide, mischievous grin spread across his face. She had walked right into that one. "As you wish, my dear." He released her legs and felt her settle into a false sense of security. She waited for the other hand to release her, but instead, felt his hand come down across her cheeks.

"I will kill you," she twisted around on top of him and wormed her way out of his grasp. She quickly rolled off him and slid off the edge of the bed.

"Don't!" House shouted as her head vanished under the bed. It was too late now.

She came up, frowning with confusion. "Is this my present?" She tossed the small velvet box onto his chest and pulled her robe on. Then she sat down on the edge of the bed and waited for his response.

"I told you…"

"It's the ring." She stared at him curiously.

"It's the ring," House repeated.

She picked the box up again and opened it. She looked at the ring. It was a beautiful ring. "Is this my present House?" She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer or not, but not knowing was killing her.

"Do you want it to be?" House threw the ball back in her court.

"I want you to give me a straight answer."

"I want you to marry me," he blurted out. He had stunned her into silence. "Is that straight enough for you?" There was a tinge of evil in his smile.

Cuddy nodded, trying not to start crying. "But I thought…" he took her hand in his. "What about your puzzle?" He slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.

"In three days I might change my mind."

"You won't change your mind." A tear forced its way out of her eye.

"I'm very fickle."

"I know. But you won't change your mind. You love me." She smiled radiantly and House realized she was right. There was no way he was changing his mind again. This was it.

"I know. I think I should go see a shrink." He needed to lighten the mood. The weight of what had just happened was threatening to crush him.

Cuddy hit him playfully on the chest. "All the years I've BEGGED you to get help and the thought of marrying me is what pushes you over the edge?"

"Well, yeah." He held her tight. Mostly because he liked holding her in his arms, but partly to prevent her from hitting him again.

"Do you really want to get married House?" She sounded nervous.

"Not if you're going to keep asking me about it."

"I won't ask again." She snuggled down into his arms. Her hand rested on his chest, the bright diamond glittered as the sun hit it. "It's very beautiful."

"So are you."

She felt so comfortable in his arms that she just laid there for a while. "Why didn't you wait, until Wednesday?"

"What's Wednesday?"

"The end of Hanukkah? You went through all the trouble…"

"What's the point? You already know. Lo knows."

"Are you upset because I talked to Lo about it?"

"No." The way he spat out the word betrayed him.

"Oh House." Cuddy wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Does this mean I don't get the rest of my presents?"

"You don't want them." House was playing with her hair, twisting a strand around his finger then letting it fall out again.

"It was very romantic, spelling out Marry Me with gifts."

"Is that what you think I was doing?" He tried to look shocked at the idea, but he was still too sleepy to pull it off.

"That IS what you were doing House. And it was very sweet and romantic."

"Bah. Sweet and romantic. You must be thinking of someone else."

"I only think of you." She kissed his cheek gently, turning her head up to do so.

"Right, that's why you cry out someone else's name when we have sex?"

"By someone else, do you mean God?"

"No. That's my nickname." House smiled down at her. He liked this; lying in bed with her on a lazy Sunday morning, holding her in his arms and teasing each other. He felt that something was bound to go wrong.

"Of course it is."

"Well, if it's not, why do you keep calling me God, over and over?"

"Because you're a man. You're ego needs as much stroking as possible."

"That's not all that needs stroking." He grinned and slid her hand down under the sheets.

The phone rang.

"Don't answer it…" he said as she picked up the phone.

"Yes?" she sighed heavily. "He'll be right there." She hung up.

"Who'll be right where?" House looked at her. "Have you got another man hidden in the spare room? Because I don't intend on being any…"

"You're patient went into shock. You need to get to the hospital."

"I have a team. Make them go…"

"They're already there House. They're the reason your patient is dying faster." She got up and started getting dressed.

"What did they do this time?" House groaned, pulling on the clothes Cuddy was throwing at him.

"Hadley apparently took more blood to run some tests and the patient wouldn't stop bleeding."

"She doesn't have hemophilia," House remembered from her chart.

"Well, she does now." Cuddy pulled him out of the bedroom.

"But it's Sunday." House wanted to climb back into bed and snuggle, among other things.

"I'll let her hemophilia know. It obviously got its days mixed up."

"I hate sick people," House grumbled as he followed her into the car.

"Then make her not sick, darling."

"Why are you coming?" House watched her pull out of the driveway. It had just dawned on him that she was there.

"To make sure you do your job." She lied.

"Then I'm not letting you out of my sight." It didn't take a genius to realize she wanted to go hid in her office, buried under piles of paperwork. Well, not today. They had some celebrating to do, and he was not going to do it in her office. Not today anyway.


	21. Diagnosis: Engaged

Hi all. Sorry for the long delay. It feels like it's been forever since I last wrote. I'm just getting over a massive case of writers block. I HATE when that happens. So, here's just a little something to hopefully get my mojo back. (hmmm. no matter what analogy I tried, they all sounded dirty.) Anyway, back to our story, already in progress.

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**Diagnosis: Engaged**

House pushed through the doors of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital like a gunslinger pushing his way into the corner saloon. Cuddy trailed in his wake, an amused smile on her face.

"'m here, don't panic," House bellowed to the room in general. No one seemed interested. Nurse Brenda looked up from her paperwork then looked back down at her paperwork. A few patients sat up hoping or dreading that the announcement had something to do with their condition. A pair of interns giggled their way through the hallway.

House rolled his eyes and headed for his patients room. Cuddy tried to make a turn at her office, but he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her along beside him. "Do I really have to be there for this?"

"I'm not announcing my engagement without a fiancé. People will think I'm making it up."

"Why would anyone think you were making up a fiancé?" Cuddy followed him down the hallway.

"Valentines Day, 1992."

Cuddy laughed. It echoed through the hallway.

"Shhh. They'll hear you." House silenced her with his hand. Putting the other around her waist, just because he could.

"Are we sneaking up on them?"

"We're making an entrance." House pushed the doors to room 185 open and strode in like a rock star about to be mobbed by his fans. His arms spread wide in front of him. "Don't panic. I'm here."

Hadley and Taub looked up. "You made it, finally." Hadley sighed with her usual annoyance.

House looked down at the bed. There were two bags of blood coursing into the girl laying there, pale as a ghost, while two buckets caught all the bandages that were getting soaked from the pin prick that was gushing on her arm.

"What the hell did you do to her?" House asked; his engagement announcement far from his mind at the moment.

Cuddy pushed her way past Hadley and grabbed the girl's chart. "You ran two neotoxic screening on her?"

"The first was inconclusive," Hadley said defensively.

"There's no such thing as an inconclusive neotoxic screening." Cuddy snarled.

"Where's the other one?" House nodded his head at Taub and Hadley.

"Dr. Kutner is in the lab, rechecking the test results," Hadley snipped.

House grumbled as he lifted the bandage and watched a stream of blood shoot into the air. "I was about to get my post proposal blow job and you had to go turn my patient into a human geyser. Thanks."

Cuddy glared at him. Hadley looked slightly shocked. Taub looked amused. At just that moment, Kutner pushed through the door. "The tests are still inconclusive."

"Give me that." House grabbed the papers from his hand and looked them over quickly. He shook his head in disgust. Kutner, meanwhile, looked at the odd assortment of expressions and realized he must have missed something interesting.

"What happened?" He looked first to Hadley, assuming she would fill him in. When she didn't he turned to Taub and shrugged his shoulders in the universal sign for 'help, I don't know what I missed'.

"I'll tell you what happened," House replied with thinly veiled anger. "You idiots gave her Betacetamin."

"You said to…"

"I SAID to run the tests, and if they were positive, give her Betacetamin. These tests aren't positive. And do you know why they're not positive? Anyone? Anyone?" He looked at Cuddy, whom he could tell was catching his drift. "I'll marry the first person who gives me the right answer."

Cuddy tried not to laugh. "She's allergic to the HB-EFG used in the neotoxic tests."

"We have a winner. Dr. Cuddy, will you marry me?" House looked at her and blinked his eyes.

"Sorry. Already engaged." She smiled.

"Do you mind?" Hadley interrupted. "Britney is still spewing blood faster than we can get it in her?"

"I'm not doing anything until Cuddy agrees to marry me."

"Dr. House! We don't have time for this!" Hadley was getting more and more annoyed and wondering why she fought for this job in the first place.

Cuddy was glaring at House. "I already said I would, but if you kill this patient, then I'm changing my mind."

"In that case..." House walked over and pulled the tube out of her arm. The girl's body convulsed for a moment. Taub went to settle her, but House held him back with his cane. "Wait for it." A moment later, the girl's body relaxed. House grinned. "It's a miracle!"

"What'd you do?" Hadley frowned.

"Her symptoms were not caused by a blow to the head. They were caused by saving her life."

"What?" Cuddy asked curiously.

House sighed and explained how the life saving techniques used by the EMT's had caused her to need an IV which caused an allergic reaction which caused her body to go haywire. The details are terribly complex but ultimately boring and not worth transcribing, so let's move on.

"So…" House looked at his slightly shell shocked young staff. "Congratulations are customary at a time like this."

"You expect us to congratulate you?" Hadley was incensed. "How long have you known about this?"

"Well, that's not really any of your business actually…"

"None of my business?" She was angry now. Taub and Kutner stepped away. "My patient almost died because you're too busy playing mind games…"

"You're patient?" House seemed mildly amused.

"Yes. And Kutner's patient, and Taub's patient." She motioned to Kutner and Taub who both shook their heads like they wanted nothing to do with it. "She's certainly not your patient."

"And yet I'm the one who saved her life." House leaned toward Cuddy. "I should get extra credit for that. Make a note of it in my file."

"Of course," Cuddy rolled her eyes and didn't make a mental note to make a note of House saving another of his patients.

Hadley looked from her boss to her bosses boss and realized this was a loosing battle.

"Now, if you're quite finished," House said calmly, "saving her life is not what I meant."

Hadley looked at him for a moment, but a smile of realization slowly spread across Taub's mouth. "Congratulations Dr. House." He came over and shook the man's hand. "Dr. Cuddy." He hesitated a moment, then shook hers as well.

"Wow! Really?" Kutner finally caught on and looked awestruck. "You and Dr. Cuddy?"

House looked at him. "Have you been living under a rock?"

Kutner blushed. "No, I, I knew you were, I didn't realize, congratulations." He moved in for a hug but quickly changed it to a hand shake when he feared House's eyes would burn a hole into his skull.

House took a step toward Hadley. "Aren't you going to congratulate me?"

Hadley took a step past House. "Dr. Cuddy, you have my sympathy." She turned and left the room. Cuddy smirked until House shot her a look.

"She really doesn't like you." Cuddy smiled.

"Can I trade her in for the bitch?"

Cuddy pretended to think about it. "No. I like that she doesn't like you."

"You are twisted."

"Can you take it outside, so we can go ahead and finish up here?" Kutner pushed House and Cuddy toward the door while Taub continued to check the girls vitals.


	22. A Busy Sunday at PPTH

I'd like to offer an appology for the whole Hadley thing. I forgot that it isn't common knowledge that she has a name. Yes, it is 13. It was written on the betting form Chase had when he was running bets on who would get voted off next.

**scheggia**, I had to make sure Cameron was FAR from the room when House promised marriage to the first person to answer, because you know she would have shoved everyone out of the way to answer first. lol

**Carla Fox** I did have reservations about House wanting to tell, but I imagine that House feels this is a victory for him, and he wants to make sure everyone knows so she can't back out of it easily.

**Nikelodean**, the only good thing about Hadley is that she makes me appreciate Cameron. Yeah, I said it, I practically like Cameron now. (hides head in shame. lol) And yeah, I think Kutner is adorkable. He's my favorite Newbie by a mile.

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**A Busy Sunday at PPTH**

"That went well," Cuddy teased.

"You think?" House was genuinely excited about his big news. When he was excited about something, he expected everyone around him to be excited as well.

Cuddy smiled uncomfortably. She had thought this whole 'big announcement' shtick was a joke, but the look in his eyes told her differently. "Well, it could have been worse."

House thought about it. "I guess. I mean, the patient could have died."

"Yes, that would have been worse." She followed him nervously down the hall. It wasn't hard to figure out where he was headed.

Wilson was listening to his new iPhone. It had been a finalized divorce gift to himself. It was Sunday and no one was around, so he turned up the volume and was singing into his stethoscope.

"Ooooh, you can dance. You can jive… having the time of your life…"

House put an arm out to stop Cuddy from interrupting Wilson's performance.

"…Ooooooh, see that girl, watch that scene, digging the dancing queen…"

"Did you just out yourself?" House stood leaning in the doorway, a smug smile on his face.

"HOUSE!" Wilson spun around. "CUDDY!" He sat down quickly, nearly missing his chair. He grabbed the arms to keep the chair from spinning out from under him. "What are you doing here on a Sunday?"

"Definitely not singing alone in our offices."

"I'm not paying you overtime for this." Cuddy replied all business.

"I'm not…I'm just…why are you hear again?" Wilson fumbled over his words.

"I heard you wailing and wanted to find out who was attacking you." House pulled the iPhone out of Wilson's hand and started scrolling through the songs with a smirk.

"You heard me…all the way from home?"

"We came to check on his patient," Cuddy informed Wilson, realizing House wasn't going to do it. "And you're here because…" Cuddy really wanted to get down to the bottom of this.

"I'm uh…waiting for someone."

"Lo?"

"Um…someone else." Wilson turned beat red.

"Oh," Cuddy replied curtly.

"The hooker," House said happily.

"Her name is Robin."

"Yeah, Robin the hooker."

"She asked me for a consultation and today was the only day she could do it." He had promised not to say anything. Oops.

"Look at this Cuddy." House held the iPhone toward her. She reached out for it. "No, with the other hand," House instructed.

Cuddy sighed and held out her left hand. She made sure that the ring caught the light just right.

"OH! MY! GOD!" Wilson's mouth dropped. "You asked her! You actually did it! I can't believe it!"

"I can't believe I said yes," Cuddy mumbled softly, though both men heard her just fine.

"Too late to change your mind now."

"Are you having a wedding? Oh, you're definitely having a wedding. Can I be best man? I mean, really, who else would you ask? Of course I'll be your best man House. Oh, this is so exciting. Does anyone else know?"

House quickly broke into Wilson's stream of thoughts. "She'll probably want one. It's not your decision. No. I have people I could ask. I didn't ask you. No, it's not exciting. You're the first person we told."

"House," Cuddy caught him in a couple lies. She turned to Wilson. "We told his team. And he doesn't have anyone else he can ask, so yes, you can be best man. But he'll probably make you jump through some hoops first." She shot a look at House.

"I was going to ask Foreman." House snotted.

"No you weren't. You don't even like Foreman, and he certainly doesn't like you." Cuddy rolled her voice. Her eyes were tired.

"Oh, we'll have to have a bachelor party." Wilson was nearly jumping with excitement.

"You could ask your hooker friend to come entert…OW!" House felt too swift kicks in the leg. One was rounded and blunt; the other was pointy and sharp. He had to get Cuddy to stop wearing such pointy shoes. He bent down and rubbed his bruised calf.

"Have you set a date?" Wilson was giddy. House was getting married. This was a sign that House was finally growing up. It was a good thing. House was doing something normal.

"Slow down!" House looked like a deer facing off against a 16 wheeler on a deserted highway.

"It just happened this morning. I'm going to have to tell my family first." Cuddy did not sound thrilled with that prospect.

"Yeah, yeah, no hurry," House said casually. He'd kind of forgotten about the whole wedding aspect of getting married. He much preferred the spending the rest of his life with this woman part without bothering with the formality of it all.

"You'll be the first to know when we set a date, okay?" Cuddy smiled.

"Don't you mean after House's team?" Wilson was slightly hurt that he wasn't the first to know. He should have been the first. They were both his friends. It was kind of rude not to tell him first.

There was a quiet knock at the door and Robin Thomas poked her head in. "I'm sorry. I thought we were meeting…"

"Yes, yes, they were just leaving." Wilson got up and practically dragged the happy couple out of the room. He pulled the iPhone out of Cuddy's hand as he shoved them out the door. Robin's young son hid behind her as the doctors said their goodbyes.

House watched as Wilson closed the door and the blinds. "That boy is in so much trouble," he mused.

"Trouble?" Cuddy watched a couple doctors walk past and wondered if they could tell, if they noticed anything different about her and House.

"He can't handle two women at once. He's going to implode." House chuckled as he strolled down the hallway.

He halted when Cameron turned a corner. He knew that look.

With no way to escape, House braced himself and prepared for the worst.

Cameron stopped before them and smiled a sad, almost teary smile. "I just heard. I'm happy for you, both." She made a point to pull her eyes off House and acknowledge Cuddy. The effort wasn't missed by the administrator.

"Thank you Dr. Cameron," Cuddy said in a sweet voice tinged with arsenic.

"Yeah," House grumbled. He knew what was coming.

Cameron took a step forward. House fought the urge to step back. Best to get it over with. He cringed as he felt her arms slip around him. He smiled weakly at Cuddy who looked quite amused.

"I'm so glad you found someone." Cameron's words brushed into House's ear. The thing that annoyed him most was that she meant it. She was one of those sickening people who genuinely wanted other people to be happy. That kind of thing really pissed him off.

House nodded curtly when she let him go. He breathed a sigh of relief when his pager went off. He ignored the sad look on Cameron's face and read the brief message. He grinned to himself then put on a very serious face. "I have to go. Patient had a relapse." He pushed past the young doctor and fled down the hall as fast as someone in his condition could flee.

"I can come," Cameron said, flustered. "Perhaps I can help." A part of her yearned to be back on House's team, though she would never dare admit it.

"You're needed down in the ER." Cuddy's tone told Cameron not to argue and the two women parted ways.

House grabbed Cuddy when she turned the corner. "I love you too, you sneaky little..." He couldn't finish, as Cuddy's lips pressed against his. In his pocket sat the pager, with the words "I love U" still glowing across the screen.

* * *

PS: For my purposes, PPTH is open on Sundays and a skeleton staff run the emergency room. 


	23. Business or Pleasure

**Business or Pleasure**

House followed Cuddy to her office. "Don't go in there," he warned.

"I'm just going to check my messages. I'll only be a minute." Cuddy walked a little faster, hoping he couldn't keep up.

"It would take you less than a minute to NOT check your messages." House glared at the door now swinging shut between them. Married life was going to be great. He sighed and pushed the door open with his cane. Cuddy was already at her desk, phone pressed to her ear. House stomped in and dropped into a chair.

After five minutes that seemed like twenty, House dropped the end of his cane onto the phone…or, he tried to. Cuddy caught it in mid air with her free hand and shot him a look.

"Yes, I'll have the report for you first thing in the morning." Her eyes didn't move from his, and her hand did not let go of the end of his cane until she hung up. "Don't EVER try that again."

"Or what?" He smiled a devilish grin. With a groan she shoved the cane back at him, nearly pushing him off the chair.

"Go home House." She pointed toward the door.

House raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you coming?"

Cuddy looked away. "I'll be home soon," she said guiltily.

"No you won't." House said with resignation is his voice as he got up and left.

Cuddy frowned as the door closed behind him. She looked at the pile of papers on her desk, the 'report' she was supposed to present to the Board first thing tomorrow morning. It was a disorganized mess. Then she looked down at the ring on her finger.

House shuffled out the hospital's main doors. A cold wind bit into the exposed flesh of his face and hands. He shivered and pulled on his gloves.

"House, wait!" Cuddy came running up behind him. He turned.

"I need to get that report done by tomorrow morning," she told him pleadingly.

"I know." He did know, and he knew he should be supportive and let her do it, but he didn't want to. He wanted her to himself. He had wanted to spend the day in bed, making love to her. Instead they were standing in the cold, in front of the hospital that they both spent far too much time in already.

"If I don't do it now…"

"I KNOW," he said a little louder, emphasizing just how much he knew that he was wrong for keeping her from her work.

She looked hurt by his words, or perhaps just the tone of his voice.

"Can you have it done by dinner?" House said quietly, trying very hard to take the high road but finding he was getting dizzy from the altitude.

Cuddy nodded. She was about to say she promised, but realized he wouldn't believe her if she said it.

"I'll pick you up around six." House turned and walked away. He didn't want to kiss her right now. It was petty and childish but he wanted her to suffer a little.

Cuddy watched him leave. Then she turned and went back inside.

Six o'clock rolled around a lot faster than she'd expected and she jumped when she looked up to see House staring down at her. "When did you get here?" She pulled a lock of hair out of her face.

"You shouldn't have to ask that." House put a bag on her desk with a thud.

"What's that?" Cuddy tried to look in the bag but House swatted her hand away.

"I knew you'd still be working." He took the bag over to the coffee table and set it down.

Cuddy took off her reading glasses and followed him. She finally noticed that he'd shut the blinds, and the lights were dimmed. She eyed him suspiciously as she sat on the couch beside him. She sniffed the air. "I smell onions." She smiled as her stomach growled. She hadn't realized how hungry she was.

"That's mine." He pulled out the union blossom. "I got you a salad." He pulled out a small side salad.

Cuddy put the salad on the table disinterested, and waited for the next container. House pulled out two heavy Styrofoam containers. As he put each one down, Cuddy quickly opened them. The first contained a New York Strip Steak and fries, House's favorite. The next contained the Atlantic salmon with steamed veggies. Her favorite.

She pulled her container over and loaded a handful of onion blossom pieces into the top.

"Leave my blossom alone!" House jabbed at her with his plastic fork. "Eat your salad."

"Excuse me?" Cuddy looked at him incredulously.

"I don't want you getting fat now that you've snagged yourself a man."

Cuddy laughed a free, joyous laugh. She was almost done with her report, but House was a more than welcome break from hours of leaning over her desk pouring over spreadsheets and numbers. "I'm not going to get fat House. You're not going to live forever." She quickly bit into her fish as she mumbled that last offhand remark.

"Excuse me?" House grabbed the end of her fork to keep her from taking a bite, but she stuck her neck out and nabbed the bit of fish dangling from the fork quickly. "Stop that!" He struggled and got the fork away from her.

"You're old House. I am not going to be changing your Depends the rest of my life. I'm sticking you in a home as soon as you lose the ability to dress yourself."

House looked down at his wrinkled shirt and worn jeans. "Some people would say the time has long since passed."

Cuddy smiled. "They're right. So you might want to start packing."

"You're kicking me out already?" House mocked.

"You're right. I should wait until after you change your life insurance over to me."

"NEVER gonna happen. Wilson is getting everything. So don't even think about bumping me off."

Cuddy got a wistful look in her eyes. "I'll have to have a little chat with Jimmy."

"Jimmy? Since when do you call him Jimmy?"

"Since he became my accomplice." She exaggerated looking shocked by her mistake. "Oh, I mean friend." She smiled dangerously and House shoved her back onto the couch.

"You can't get rid of me that easily." He pulled the fork out of her hand, tossing it on the floor then pinned both arms over her head.

"That's why I need Wilson's help," she adjusted herself to a more comfortable confinement and waited to see what his next move would be.

"Wilson would never help you with your nefarious plan." He carefully swung his bad leg over her hips.

"I didn't think you were that naive House." She felt him undressing her with his eyes, but under the circumstances, it was all he could do.

"Shut up!" House leaned in and kissed her. Their verbal foreplay was over. It was time for action.


	24. Maid of Dishonor

**Maid of Dishonor**

Cuddy felt refreshed as she turned back to her work. House was curled up on the couch, sleeping off their recent activities. She longed to curl up in his arms and hide from the world for a few days, but if she let her guard down for a moment, Dr. Brady would make his move. He might be an asshole, but he was a very smart asshole. He was biding his time.

Cuddy grabbed the phone quickly, hoping the ring wouldn't awaken her sleeping price. "Hello?"

"There you are!" Lo's voice rang into her ear.

"Found me." Cuddy furrowed her brow, wondering what was up.

"I tried calling your house, and your cell." It was unlike Cuddy to be so unreachable.

"Why?"

"I wanted to talk to you." Lo sounded a little hurt.

"Sorry. I'm working on the final budget reports."

"I should have known." Lo sounded slightly annoyed. "Would it really be the worst thing in the world, if you just stepped down…?"

"YES!" Cuddy snapped. She saw House stir and lowered her voice. "This job is important to me Lo. You know that."

"Yeah, but…"

"Don't 'yeah, but' me Lo. This is not a discussion we're going to have. Now, did you call for something other than giving me a lecture, or should I hang up now?"

"I just want you to…"

"I'm hanging up now." Cuddy recognized the concern in Lo's voice. Of all people she thought Lo would understand. Some jobs are more than just what you do to make money. Cuddy's job mattered to her. She liked being in charge, and she liked being responsible. She liked getting those cards in the mail from people whose lives her doctors had saved. She was never going to have children; she was never going to find a cure for AIDS. This was her legacy. The hospital was her way of contributing to the world.

"Don't you have something to tell me?" Lo spoke quickly, before her friend could hang up.

Cuddy groaned. Damn that Wilson. "I'm engaged, as if you didn't know."

Lo took a breath. She smiled to herself. It was time to be supportive. "I'm so happy for you Lisa."

"No you're not." Cuddy called her bluff. She heard Lo about to protest and went on. "I know you're happy for me. You're just not happy that I'm marrying him are you?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Lo would happily tell Cuddy the truth, if she wanted it.

Cuddy thought about it. "No. But I do want you to be my maid of honor."

"You are brave," Lo joked.

"Lo!"

"Sorry. So, does G know you're having a wedding?"

Cuddy looked over at the snoring man. "Of course he does." He was a smart, perceptive man; he should realize they were having a wedding. Shouldn't he?

"You've told him? In words? That he'd understand?" Lo wasn't as convinced of House's perception.

Cuddy opened her mouth to lie, then realized who she was talking to. "Not exactly."

"Oh Lisa," the disappointment in Lo's voice reminded Cuddy of her mother.

"Don't you dare 'oh, Lisa' me!"

Lo laughed.

"I take it you've saw Wilson today." Cuddy wanted a change of subject, STAT!

"That's none of your business," Lo said halfheartedly. "But, yeah, I dropped by for a visit."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "By visit you mean sex?"

Lo grinned and though Cuddy couldn't see it through the phone, she knew it was happening. "It's called a booty call, Lisa. You should try it sometime."

Cuddy looked over at House's sleeping body and smiled. "Don't be so proud of yourself Lo. Wilson's an easy lay."

"Ooh!" Lo perked up. "And how would you know?"

"Not THAT way!" Wilson had wooed her once, but…Cuddy cringed. He was like a brother.

House shifted again and rolled off the couch with a thud, followed by an exclamation. "DAMN!"

"Are you okay?" Cuddy called out with not much concern. It wasn't a very long drop.

"Yeah." House grumbled as he pulled himself up. "Who are you talking to?"

"Lo. I'm breaking the bad news to her."

"Tell her she's not invited." House snatched his jeans off the coffee table and tried not to fall over as he pulled them on.

Cuddy smirked and spoke into the phone. "You're not invited."

"To what?"

"To what?" Cuddy asked as House struggled with his tee shirt.

"The wedding," House snapped absentmindedly. It finally dawned on him that he was trying to shove his head through the arm hole. He readjusted the shirt and tried again.

"The wedding," Cuddy said triumphantly into the phone.

"It's not going to happen," Lo replied.

"Wanna bet?" Cuddy was feeling quite confident at the moment.

"You're on." This was a bet Lo wasn't sure if she wanted to win or not, but she made it anyway, and hoped for the best. "If you actually have a real wedding, I'll pay for your honeymoon, anywhere you want."

"Really?" Cuddy was intrigued. If House knew that…

"But you can NOT tell House about the bet." Lo wasn't stupid. House would have an elaborate wedding with all the pomp and circumstance imaginable just to spit her.

"Fine." Cuddy would have to find a way around that rule.

"No writing it, no hand signals, no text messages…you can not, in any way, convey the existence of this bet, or any components thereof, to Dr. Gregory House, or anyone else dead, alive, nonexistent, stuffed, or made of any other composition." Lo was pretty sure she'd covered all loopholes.

"Fine," Cuddy said, defeated.

"Now, what do I get if I win?"

"You won't…"

"Don't say it!" Lo warned. "If I win, you have to send me on a week long booty call with Jimmy to anywhere I want."

Cuddy groaned.

"Is that a yes?"

"Fine." There was no way she was going to win anyway.

"Well, then, we have a deal." Lo said her goodbyes and hung up.

"What'd she want?" House, finally dressed, came over and kissed his fiancé on the neck.

"To send her condolences." Cuddy felt a shiver run through her. He knew that drove her crazy. "Wilson told her about the engagement."

House made a face. "Let's go home."

Cuddy looked at the report. It was as done as it was going to get. She sighed as she felt House pulling her out the door. She could already think of about five things Brady was going to challenger her on. The hospital was quiet. It was later than she'd thought.

"Come on," House pulled her by the waist as she tried to stop at the nurse's station. "Let them do their job."

He was right. She needed to let go. There was nothing more she could do tonight.


	25. Showdown at PPTH

**Showdown at PPTH**

House paced the length of Cuddy's office. The meeting had been going on for three hours now, and House had been pacing for most of that time. Before pacing, he had been pressing his ear to the door, eavesdropping. That ended when Dr. Tambor came out for a bathroom break and slammed him into the wall with the door, probably intentionally though he said a half hearted 'excuse me' as he hurried on his way.

Now he was pacing. His usual go to guy, Wilson, was in the meeting, so House had to take drastic measures.

"You paged me Dr. Cuddy?" Chase looked at the tall lean man with the cane and day old scruff and realized it hadn't been Dr. Cuddy who paged him only moments ago. "Dr. House!"

"Chase." House nodded his head.

"I am just about to go into surgery." Chase took a step toward the door, but his grudging respect for his old boss held him in place. "Why did you page me?"

"What do you know about this big Board meeting?" House tried to sound casual, as though he'd just run into Chase in the hallway and asked about the weather.

Chase had never seen House this…insecure before. It was disorienting. "The word is," Chase took a few steps forward, wondering how to break it to House. "Cuddy's in trouble."

"She can take Brady," House said proudly.

"I'm sure she can, House, but…" Chase really didn't want to be the one to tell House.

"But what DAMN IT!" House slammed his cane on the desk. Chase jumped. "Tell me what's going on!" House raged.

"Brady has called in the BME." They'd been questioning some of the staff over the past few days. Chase was surprised House hadn't noticed. "He's trying to get her license removed."

"I know that," House snapped. It wasn't going to work.

"The Board is going to announce an official investigation in today's meeting. They're going to suspend Dr. Cuddy's license. They're announcing it today. " Chase's face held a pang of guilt. He' hadn't done anything to help the BME's investigation, but he was a good Catholic boy, so he naturally felt guilty.

"They can't!" House slammed his cane hard against the wall. A loud crack rang through the room and Chase cringed. He straightened himself up, but took a step away from House.

"I'm sorry Dr. House. I should have told you sooner."

"DAMN IT!" Why hadn't Wilson told him about this?

"It was all rumors, until today. When Dr. Knutsen showed up…" Dr Knutsen was one of the nastiest members of the Board of Medical Examiners. She held a strong grudge against anyone who wasn't her. She was especially hard on women.

Chase hadn't had time to finish his sentence. House was gone. Chase kicked himself for not going to House sooner, when Nurse Sara had first told him what her brother overheard when he was doing repair work over at the BME offices. He'd just thought it must be a misunderstanding.

House stormed down the hallway, swearing to himself. Brady was going to regret the day he messed with Cuddy. The door to the conference room loomed before him. It was closed, the blinds were drawn, and loud voices could be heard pushing through it.

"Dr. House…" Nurse Brenda, the pit bull of PPTH tried to stop him, but he pushed her out of the way. "The door is locked," she said softly as he attacked the handle unsuccessfully.

Cuddy turned when she heard the rattling. Her whole body froze. She knew exactly who was on the other side of that door. So, it seemed, did the rest of the Board.

"That's him," Brady said to Knutsen smugly.

Cuddy shot laser's toward the rotund man. Her eyes burned into him until he looked away. "You were saying, Dr. Knutsen?" Cuddy was well aware of the thin frosted blonde's reputation. She had the features of a hawk, matching her birdlike mannerisms, and predator instincts.

"I was saying, Dr. Cuddy, that it is not beneficial to this hospital to have an administrator who is so obviously biased in favor of her staff. Particularly not a member of staff who is as consistently disruptive to the rest of the staff."

Wilson squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. Flashbacks of Vogler popped into his head. Other doctors were looking at one another and shaking their heads in agreement with Knutsen. Cuddy silenced them with a cold, hard stare.

"If you had such a problem with Dr. House, Dr. Brady, there are less underhanded ways you could have dealt with it. If, however, you are just being petty because you do not like the way Dr. House runs his Diagnostics Department, do I need to remind you, once again, that the creation of that department, which was, indeed created for Dr. House, has brought more recognition and donations to this hospital annually than your department ever does. And, those donations helped pay for your fancy new radiology lab as well as countless other updates to this hospital?"

"And need I remind you, Dr. Cuddy, that Dr. House cost us $100,000,000.00 a few short years ago?"

"There were far too many strings attached to Mr. Vogler's offer Dr. Brady. Perhaps you would have preferred I wait until he went after your job? However, I feel that Dr. House, like all of my carefully chosen staff, is an asset to this hospital, and until he proves otherwise, he is not going anywhere."

"But that all depends," Dr. Knutsen said calmly and in a quietly icy voice, "on whether you are still at this hospital by the end of my investigation."

Cuddy's face flashed rage for a split second, then fell back into cool control. "Dr. Knutsen, if, in your already exhaustive investigation, you find one plausible reason for me to step down as head of this hospital then, for the good of the hospital, I will do so. However, I think you might find the task much more difficult than anticipated."

"Dr. Cuddy!" Knutsen stood up, slamming a hand on the table. "I do not need a plausible reason to have you removed from your position."

"Excuse me?" Cuddy looked at her with recrimination.

"All I need is a majority vote from the Board of Trustees."

Cuddy fought a smile. "True." Her Trustees wouldn't let her down.

Knutsen looked around the room. She had spoken personally to every member of the board. She had gotten two absentee votes in favor of Cuddy's resignation. The only vote she knew she wouldn't get was Dr. Wilson who had lectured her on Cuddy's strengths before saying he would never turn his back on his administrator. Most of the doctors in the room looked away, fumbling with pencils or checking for something they hoped they dropped under the table.

Cuddy took a moment to read the room. Most of these doctors were hand picked by her. Some were held over from the previous regime. Most of them just needed to be reminded of a few things. "Before you rush through your vote, I would just like to remind everyone at this table of what Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital was like before I got here. You might not agree with everything that I've done; you might question my decisions; but you can not argue that PPTH is in a better position now than it was when I took over ten years ago.

"I have worked hard to make this one of the top teaching hospitals in the country. I couldn't have done that without you, but it was me who spearheaded the changes at this hospital. It is me who hired a staff that would get this hospital recognized world wide. I have dedicated my life to making this hospital what it is today, and I want to continue to do so.

"Dr. Brady wants you to believe that I have favored Dr. House far beyond any other doctor here." Brady puffed up proudly as a few doctors nodded their agreement. "But that simply is not true." Cuddy waited for the murmurs to die down. "I have favored Dr. House when he needed it. But, Dr. Bennett, when your son was ill, did I not go out of my way to make sure he had the best of everything? I gave you more time off than was mandatory. I set up a room next to your sons, for you and your wife." Dr. Bennett's eyes were moist as he remembered how generous Cuddy had been to him in that time. She smiled at him warmly. "I hear Brandon got accepted to Yale. You must be so proud." Cuddy didn't have to say that Brandon wouldn't be alive if it weren't for her. It was a known fact.

"Dr. Yang, I supported you 100 during your malpractice suit. I never doubted you for a moment. And even though several members of the Board thought I should suspend you until the investigation was over, I stood behind you because I believed that you were not guilty."

"None of this matters." Brady stood up boisterously.

"Why?" Cuddy challenged. She could see he was getting nervous.

"Because House is and always will be your favorite!" Brady was losing his cool.

Cuddy looked away so he wouldn't see her smirk. He really didn't have a leg to stand on. "You're right." Gasps all around. "Dr. House and I have been in a relationship for some time. As a matter of fact, we are engaged to be married."

The room burst into outraged cries mixed with gasps of surprise.

"There, there, you see!" Brady was standing and pointing at Cuddy as though she'd just confessed to murder in a seedy courtroom drama. She forced herself to remain calm.

"What the hell is going on in there?" House struggled to get out of the grasp of the two large orderlies Nurse Brenda had called to hold him back.

"Dr. House! Stop it! NOW!" She was holding a needle. She really, really didn't want to do it, but if he pushed it, she was fully prepared to sedate him.

"That is a blatant conflict of interests." Knutsen rose to be heard above the murmurs.

"Perhaps it is, Dr. Knutsen. What it is not, however, is a violation of any of the codes of conduct of this hospital." It probably should be, but Cuddy wasn't going to mention that.

Knutsen fumed.

"And it has nothing to do with the way I run this hospital."

"HA!" It was all Brady could come up with in the short space Cuddy left while taking a breath.

"I do not treat Dr. House special because I am in love with him. I give him special treatment because the Diagnostics Department is special. We are one of the few hospitals with a free standing Diagnostics Department. When I started it, the idea was revolutionary. People said it wouldn't last, but this Board had faith in the idea. You," she looked around the room pointedly, "believed in it. And because of that belief and because of Dr. House, we have saved hundreds of people who would have otherwise died, undiagnosed. Deaths we prevented because of Dr. House."

"If House is so great, maybe the rest of us should just leave." Brady wasn't giving up yet.

"This hospital needs each and every one of you. Our patients shouldn't have to lose out on the best possible care because you have an issue with who I sleep with. This hospital shouldn't suffer because of a ten year old grudge." Cuddy knew what was fueling this attack. It was the same thing that had fueled every attack Brady made on her. He had lost the position of Dean of Medicine to a 30 year old girl.

Knutsen looked furious. This was not going at all the way Brady had promised. Brady looked like he was about to have another heart attack. Wilson gasped when he saw something flit by the window. It looked beige or tan or…his mind must be playing tricks on him.

"Dr. Wilson?" Brady snapped his head in Wilson's direction.

"Should we just vote now?" Wilson sounded timid. He often sounded timid at Board Meetings. He hated being on the Board. At least they'd already finished the budget part of the meeting. Brady must have been hoping to get rid of Cuddy that way since he only introduced Knutsen after Cuddy won over the Board with her brilliant budget plan for the next three years.

The vote was eleven to one in favor of Cuddy retaining her position. In the end, even Dr. Figalora had to admit that Cuddy was the best person for the job.

Cuddy stood up, trying not to look too triumphant. "If that's all, I'd like to bring this meeting to a close." No one stirred. "Thank you all for coming." She looked directly at Dr. Knutsen. "Really, thank you so much for coming."

Knutsen shoved back her chair, knocking it down as she got to her feet. "I'll be watching you Dr. Cuddy," she threatened.

"Good." Cuddy smiled as she walked over to shake Knutsen's hand. "It's nice to see the BME taking such an active interest in PPTH."

Knutsen pushed past her without a handshake or even a slight head nod. Cuddy felt nothing but a slight gust of wind as Frosty pushed past her. She wasn't deeply hurt by the lack of pleasantry. She smiled and nodded and made polite small talk with various members of the board as they piled out.

Soon it was just her and Wilson left. "Well, that was fun," Wilson came over and gave her an awkward handshake almost hug.

"I'm surprised House didn't burst in and make it worse."

Wilson remembered what he'd seen in the window. "Uh…"

"What?" Cuddy watched him walk over to the window.

"I think he might have tried." Wilson pressed his face against the glass and saw the prostrate body of his friend, laying in the bushes. "HOUSE!" He shouted, tapping on the glass.

"What's he doing?" Cuddy looked quickly before rushing out of the room.

"Dr. Cuddy…." Brenda tried to call her boss with no success.

Wilson shot past her next. "Dr. Wilson…" she again got no response. She shrugged and went back to work.

"House?" Cuddy was kneeling in the snow beside his body when Wilson arrived.

"Is he…"

"I'm not dead you idiot!" House exclaimed, trying fruitlessly to roll over.

"What happened?" Cuddy helped him into a sitting position after a bit of a struggle.

"That stupid woman drugged me." House grumbled, dusting snow off his coat.

"What are you talking about House?" Cuddy sighed. House wasn't seriously hurt, so she was getting more annoyed than concerned.

"Nurse Brenda Ratchet. She stuck me with a sedative."

"How did you get out here?" Cuddy hadn't thought Brenda would take her that seriously when she said do anything to stop House from getting into the meeting. She felt a little guilty now.

"I escaped her goons," House boasted.

"Goons?" Wilson questioned.

"Two orderlies, Big and Bigger. They held me down while she stuck me with the needle." He looked at Cuddy. "What the hell kind of asylum are you running here?"

Cuddy smiled at him.

"You're still running it then?" House smiled back.

Cuddy put her hands on either side of his face. She looked into his bright blue eyes. They were slightly unfocused because of the sedative Brenda gave him but they still sparkled as they gazed at her. She smiled warmly as she pressed her lips softly against his.

Wilson looked away nervously and started whistling. He thought he might have a burger for lunch. Yes, and some fries. That sounded good. He wandered off toward the cafeteria alone.


	26. The Unavoidable Truth

**The Unavoidable Truth**

Cuddy sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the phone. She had already changed into her nightgown, removed her makeup, and her hair was tied back into a ponytail. House thought she looked radiant; scared, but radiant.

"You still haven't called her back?" House came out of the bathroom in his shorts.

"She knows," Cuddy said anxiously, her eyes flitting between House and the phone.

"How could she possibly know?" House was tired of this conversation. Ever since Cuddy's mother called and left a message this morning, Cuddy had been a nervous wreck. It was going to be a long night if she didn't get this over with.

"I don't know how she knows, but she knows."

"Well, prove it." House walked over and picked up the phone. "Call her."

Cuddy groaned.

Her mother's message had been vague. "_Hello Lisa. I'm surprised I haven't heard from you yet. Don't you have something you'd like to tell me?" _That was it.

House was pressing the receiver to her ear while he took her finger and pointed it at the number pad. "Call her," he said slowly. He pushed her finger down on the 3 button then let her dial the rest.

"Hi Mom." Cuddy sounded uncertain. She would rather sit through another board meeting than talk to her mother.

"Lisa? Is that you?" Her mother knew perfectly well who it was. Cuddy looked at the phone with veiled disgust.

"Yes Mother. It's me."

"You got my message then?" Her mother sounded as though she were waiting for something.

"Yes. But I don't know what you think I have to tell you?" Cuddy hoped her bluff would work.

"Oh Lisa," her mother sighed. "Where did I go so wrong with you?"

"Mother…" Cuddy warned.

"Why do you show me no respect Lisa? After all I've done for you; the least you can do is show me a little respect."

All she'd done for her? Lisa Cuddy went over the list in her head. Her mother had told her she'd never be a successful doctor, told her the only way she'd ever be happy was to find a nice Jewish man to marry and give him five healthy children. She'd basically spent the past 40 years making her a neurotic mess. That is what her mother had done for her.

"I was going to call you…" she lied.

"When?"

Cuddy took a deep breath. "I've had a lot to deal with lately."

"That job of yours…it'll put you in an early grave. When are you going to get past this…?"

"It's not a whim Mother. It's not something I'm going to grow out of. This is who I am and if you don't like it…"

"All I care about is your happiness dear." The elder woman's words were saccharine.

Cuddy fumed. She was gripping the phone so tightly that her knuckles were white. What was it about mothers? Lisa Cuddy was a force to be reckoned with. She put fear in grown men's hearts. And yet, she couldn't have one phone conversation with her mother without reverting to an insecure adolescent.

House calmly removed the phone from her hand. "Hello Mrs. Cuddy…or should I start calling you Mom?" His tone was confident, suave, and nerve-wracking to both the Cuddy women.

"You may NEVER call me Mom. I don't care if you eventually do marry my daughter. You will NEVER be a son to me. NEVER!"

"So that's a no on the Mom thing then?" House was still calm. Cuddy watched him in awe. Why the hell couldn't she be like that? She managed it quite well in a room full of people trying to destroy her career.

"Put Lisa back on the phone!" Mrs. Cuddy had no interest at all in talking to this man.

"She is busy throwing darts at an 8x10 color glossy photograph of her Mother of the Year."

Cuddy jumped off the bed and grabbed the phone back. She caught the tail end of her mother's tirade.

"…you miserable…"

"Mom?"

"egomaniacal…"

"MOM?"

"Lying…"

"MOTHER!" Cuddy shouted so loudly House jumped. Her mother jumped too, nearly half a continent away.

"Lisa?"

"Mom, why did you call me?" She was exhausted and just wanted to hang up.

"Because I haven't heard from you since Hanukkah started, and I thought maybe you'd died."

Cuddy shook her head. Something told her that her mother wouldn't find her death as horrible as what had really happened. "I haven't died Mother."

"Well, how was I to know?" The Jewish Mother's guilt trip, there really was nothing like it.

"I am engaged though." There was just no easy way to say it.

"Again?" Mrs. Cuddy did not sound concerned.

Cuddy pulled the phone away from her as she mouthed a string of curses that would have made House very proud. Getting that out of her system, she pulled the phone back up to her ear. "Yes mother."

"Let me talk to her." House held out his hand.

"No." Cuddy covered the mouthpiece when she spoke, but it was too late.

"I have nothing to say to that horrid man!" Mrs. Cuddy sounded pretty adamant.

"He's not a horrid man. He's the man I'm going to marry, and if you can't…"

Her mother couldn't hold back the small laugh of disgust. "Well don't come crying to me when he leaves you again."

Cuddy threw the phone across the room.

"That went well." House stared at her, not quite smiling.

Cuddy turned her laser blue eyes on him.

"Well, it could have been worse." House sat down on the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms.

"She hates you." Cuddy wasn't sure how much worse it could get.

"I hate her," House stated without thinking how it might make her feel.

"That makes me feel better." Cuddy felt the tears slipping out of her eyes.

Mrs. Cuddy slammed the receiver down.

"What is it now?" Jakob asked, walking into the room just then.

"She's engaged again," Leila said with distain. "And she STILL didn't wish me a Happy Hanukkah."

Jakob walked out of the room shaking his head. He loved his wife, he really did, and he new she meant well. She only wanted the best for her children. He had to believe that.


	27. A Promise He Can Keep

Sorry for the long delay. We are coming to the end of the second part of the trilogy and I was struggling with how to end it. The following chapter was not coming along as I'd intended, and did not end as I'd intended, but I think I quite like it better. At any rate, there will be one more chapter after this, hopefully posted today, and then a short hiatus as I work on the last story in the trilogy, A Wedding to Remember.

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A Promise He Can Keep 

Jacob headed to his office early. He had something he needed to do before focusing on his work.

He pulled the small slip of paper out of his pocket and placed it on his desk. He looked at it for a moment, smoothing out the creases and concentrating on what he wanted to do. Jakob Cuddy was not a man who jumped into things. He thought out every move carefully, weighing the pros and cons of each decision.

He finally picked up the phone and dialed the number slowly. "Hello, Dr. House? This is Jakob Cuddy."

"Calling to offer your congratulations?" House asked semi-hopefully.

"You're a very lucky man Dr. House." Jakob smiled. He knew what a catch his daughter was. He dared any man to deny it.

"Indeed. I'm getting the world's most hostile mother-in-law."

Jakob laughed. "She's not that bad…"

"Hmph."

"She'll come around. It's just her disappointment lashing out."

House had so many things he wanted to say just then, and he might have gotten some of them out if Jakob hadn't cut him off.

"I hope you're not the kind of man to let something like that stop you from getting what you want."

House smiled to himself. He could live with being related to this man.

Jakob took his silence as confirmation. "So, do you mean it this time?" Coming from anyone else that question would have sent House steamrolling into an angry tirade, but Jakob said it with no undercurrent of hostility or blame, diffusing any anger House might have felt.

"I do."

Jakob thought this over for a moment. "Good." He nodded his head decisively. "Lisa could do a lot worse."

"Your wife doesn't seem to think so."

"My wife married me, so her taste is extremely questionable." Jakob had that wonderfully sincere self deprecating humor House usually found irritating.

"She could have done a lot worse," House mumbled.

Jakob laughed jovially. "Some day's I'm not so sure she'd agree with that."

House glowered. That woman should consider herself lucky that anyone would put up with her for over 40 years.

"Can I ask you something, Greg?" Jakob's tone had suddenly turned serious.

"Yes, but it doesn't mean I'll answer."

"Fair enough." Jakob smiled to himself. This one would definitely give Lisa a run for her money. "Why did you ask her to marry you?"

"Excuse me?" House blinked at the phone.

"Why now? It's been less than a month since your last proposal, and I think it's pretty clear that that was not a real proposal in the first place, so what has changed?"

"Are you asking me why I want to marry your daughter?" Wasn't this the man who was just telling House how lucky he was?

"No. That is not what I'm asking. I'm asking why you want to marry her NOW." Jakob had a few suspicions.

House thought long and hard about an answer. He didn't have to answer, but the question had intrigued him. Why did he ask her now? She had never seriously pushed the issue. They hadn't even discussed it until he pulled that trick on Thanksgiving. He was happy with the way things were. So why the hell DID he proposes?

House gave a little private laugh. "I couldn't think of anything else to get her for Hanukkah."

"Good." Jakob sounded genuinely pleased.

"Good?"

"I thought you were doing it because you got her pregnant." Jakob had seen too many shot gun marriages go up in flames to wish that on his daughter.

"Not likely," House mumbled.

"What?"

"If I had knocked her up I wouldn't marry her. I'd dump her for someone who wasn't going to inflate like an emergency dingy." House was lashing out. He did that when he felt trapped.

"Well, that's comforting to know." Jakob chuckled nervously, hoping his soon to be son-in-law was indeed joking.

"I have to go." House wanted this conversation to end now.

"What. I have one more thing to say."

House waited.

"I need you to make me a promise, Dr. House. Not some pseudo promise you have no intention of keeping, but a real promise."

"I can't do that until I know what it is you want."

"I'll tell you if you stop interrupting," Jakob snapped. Silence met him on the other end so, satisfied, he went on. "Promise me that if all this wedding crap starts to get out of hand, you will look after Lisa for me."

"Wedding crap?" There was that W word again.

"Leila is going to try to impose her will on this wedding…"

"That bitch wife of yours doesn't even want this wedding to happen." Crap! Did he just use the W word himself?

"Laila will come around. She'll realize you're her only hope of marrying Lisa off…"

"She's not a prize winning dog."

"Her mother's a prize winning bitch," Jakob chuckled to himself. "When she does, she's going to try to make this some sort of epic event. That was fine for Lydia. She loved the spectacle her wedding turned into, but Lisa's different…"

"And LISA can fight her own battles."

"Not with her mother she can't." Jakob sighed. He'd been dealing with this Lisa's whole life, and he still had no idea how to fix it. "Lisa's different with her mother. I don't know why. I don't know how to change it, but I do know that you won't think twice about telling my wife to stuff it, and that is what I am asking you to do…if necessary." Jakob began to worry. This could go very horribly wrong.

"I'm your man." Jakob couldn't see it, but House was grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat who just ate the canary. This was going to be fun.


End file.
